Hidden
by sanguinequinox
Summary: When an old rival alerts the Volturi about the Cullen's newest member, the family starts to crack under the tension. Ties are strained, promises are broken, and one fatal mistake puts the life of a human in danger.
1. Changes

**[Twilight rewritten - please see my profile for information on changes between the original book and my story]**

* * *

I've never been great with change.

When I was four and the blanket I used to carry around with me day in and day out started to shred to pieces, I cried and cried after my mother swapped it with a replacement. Sure, it looked the same, but it would never _be_ the same.

When I was six and we moved from the mountains of California to sunny, swelteringly-hot Phoenix, I hid in my mother's shadow and wished I was back home with my friends. Change is lonely, and new people don't know your favourite song to dance to in ballet class, or the way you like your sandwich cut at lunch.

When I was thirteen I decided I was sick of change. I stopped visiting my father in the summers. I stopped acknowledging my mother's _boyfriend of the month_. I wore the same zip-up sweatshirt to school every day, refused to cut my out-of-control hair, and listened to the same album on repeat for months at a time. Safety laid in consistency; in the gentle arms of predictability.

But when I was eighteen, I took it all back. I tried to embrace change, because change happens, whether you expect it to or not. I tried to make my own decisions, to not let the change conquer me. If there was something I was sure of, it was that no one could see the future - no one could know what the best choice was - and that I was in charge of my own life.

So, I made a choice.

You tell me if I made the right one.

* * *

"So… Who's pregnant?"

It was a mild morning in the middle of Arizona's winter as I sat across the kitchen from my mother and her husband. I didn't call him dad because they just got married a few months ago, and it wouldn't do justice to my biological father, Charlie. This guy, Phil - he was new.

They laughed to ease the tension, and I watched them both with a careful eye. I'd been called down for a nice breakfast, which was unheard of in my household, and after everything had been cleaned up they sat there in front of me with peculiar expressions. I couldn't tell if they were happy or nervous, and I was hesitant to say anything else. Maybe she actually _was_ pregnant. Big whoops on my part there.

"Bella, we have some news for you. And since you're an adult now, we wanted you to be a part of the decision," said my mother. I raised an eyebrow at her, intrigued. I'd turned eighteen in September, only two weeks before my mother's second marriage. She was so absentminded that she had it planned for my birthday to begin with, and I'd had to give her a gentle reminder that that was the day her only daughter had been born. Nonetheless, I loved her.

Nodding, I waited for them to go on. After a moment, my mother said, "You know that your grandmother is getting old."

Oh god. "She's dying?" I asked. My grandmother on my father's side had been dead before I was born, and I had seldom seen my other one since we moved to Phoenix.

"No! No, no, she's not dying, she's just... She needs some help." She reached over and took my hand, and I appreciated the affection.

Phil continued with his deep, Texan accent, "We want to move to Jacksonville to be with your grandmother. But, we know it's tough to move to a new school right before the end of your senior year, and Renee told me you applied to some colleges in Washington, so... You have a choice to make."

"You can either come to Jacksonville with us, or move to Washington and live with Charlie," my mother said. She rubbed her thumb over mine, and I started stuttering and tumbling over my words. It was an embarrassing habit that made it hard to sound confident under stress, and I hated it.

"B-but, did... Did you even talk to Charlie? I - I don't know how I'm supposed to leave my friends, I... Mom, this is, this is too sudden, how can you expect me to-"

"Bella, everything is already in place. I need to be with my mother. We've been talking to Charlie and he says he still has the extra room and even though he's busy, Jacob could give you a ride anywhere. Remember Jacob from when you were little?" She gave me an apologetic smile and I looked back and forth between the two of them.

This was awful. I could think of a million reasons why this was a horrible, atrocious idea and it would go straight to hell. I had nothing _against_ my father, but I'd put my foot down years ago about having a sliver of stability in my life. We used to move houses every couple of years, in and out of school districts, back and forth from one ballet studio to another. And now it was the middle of my _senior year_ , and they were asking _what_ from me? Was it April Fool's Day? No, shit, it was the middle of December. I could have sworn they were playing a prank on me, but as my mother clenched my hand her smile faded from her face and she looked away.

"I'm sorry. I know you love your friends, and Douglas is the absolute sweetest, but you'll make new ones and I'm sure everyone will stay in touch with you. There's no way around it, Bells. We need to know where you want to go so we can buy the plane tickets." Phil put his arm over my mother's shoulder and I pulled my hand out from underneath hers. I looked into his eyes, searching for something. Some reason for me to not storm out and live with one of my friends for the next six months, until I could be on my own.

And then, I found it.

 _Embrace the change._

"Okay," I resigned, my voice small to keep it from shaking. "I'll go. I'm living with Charlie."

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading, everyone! This story starts a bit slow, but the information in the first few chapters is necessary for the overall plot. Some chapters are focused on Bella, and those chapters will be in first-person like the book. The others are focused on Edward and his family, and those are in third-person so as to keep things clear between the sheer amount of characters he interacts with. If you're just here for Edward, he starts in chapter three :) If you have any questions, please consult my profile. I've made a lot of changes from the book that I think really help the story and character development.**

 **Please enjoy! There's more to come!**


	2. Goodbyes

Winter break had just started, and it was three days before Christmas when my family and I had packed up all of our things. It felt strange to address them to separate homes, but I thought I had made the right choice in living with my father. What I remembered of my grandmother was less than pleasant, and I was sure I didn't want to spend the last few months of my fleeting childhood with someone I didn't get along with.

On the other hand, I stopped visiting Charlie when I started high school and I had no idea how much he'd changed. He was protective but not suffocating, and although he had no clue what went on in the mind of a teenager, I always seemed to turn out alright. The town was fond of him because he was the police chief, and he'd worked hard to show that he deserved the position. In a way, I was sort of proud of him.

As I laid on the floor in my barren room, my phone rang and I jerked upright. Reaching for it on top of one of my boxes, I saw the caller ID said it was Douglas and I put the device to my ear.

"Doug?" I asked.

"Hi!" said the voice on the phone. It was high pitched and excited, but wasn't Douglas.

"Jimmy, is that you?"

"Yeah! Is this Bell?"

"Yes it is. How did you get your brother's phone, Jim?"

"He gave it to me."

"Oh, he did? Well how about you give it back to him?"

"He said I could ask if you wanted to come over before you leave."

"Of course I will! You tell Douglas I'll be over in a minute. Got it?"

"Got it." And he hung up.

I picked myself up off the floor and smiled. Jimmy was the cutest. I remembered when the boy was born, and I helped take care of him after his mother died from complications during her c-section. To him, I was family. Whenever their father had to work double shifts or overtime to make some extra money, I always stayed over to help out. Douglas and I made wonderful parents.

Grabbing my coat and wallet, I started to head out of the house. It occurred to me that this was my last day in the desert, and since I wouldn't be in town for Christmas I decided to take the presents I had gotten for Douglas's family with me so they could have them early. As I picked up the stack of colourful, wrapped gifts from my dresser, I felt a pang of guilt for leaving. Even though I knew it was out of my hands, I was mad at myself for not trying to work something out so I could stay in Arizona. Douglas was so busy with his brother that it was tough for him to make many friends, and everyone else he knew was not even close to as comfortable with him as I was. He wasn't in the dating pool because he wasn't ready to come out of the closet at school, and his few other relatives lived across the world in China. Life was tough, and I was only making it harder for him by leaving.

My eyes burned red and I rubbed at them to get rid of the tears that cascaded onto my cheeks. No, they would be fine, I assured myself. If anyone knew what they were doing, it was Douglas. He was a grade-A adult.

I whipped around and left my room, sneaking down the hall so my mother wouldn't notice me and ask why I was crying. Slipping my jacket on, I left the house and quietly closed the door. Douglas lived a few blocks down, and he always put the red flag up on his mailbox when he was home. When we were kids, it was our way of communicating. Nowadays it was more of a tradition, but it also gave me the green light to use the doorbell because it meant Jimmy wasn't napping. The flag was up as I walked down the pathway to the front of his house.

Only a moment passed after I rang the doorbell before a familiar face appeared in the doorframe in front of me. I reached out to ruffle the three-foot boy's cropped brown hair but Jimmy dodged my hand. He imitated the sound of a jet engine and ran around in circles, giggling intermittently, before his brother came barreling down the hallway and lifted him into his arms. It almost made me long for a sibling - the closeness, the love. But it was too late for that.

"Morning," I greeted the two of them as I stepped inside, closing the front door behind me. Douglas placed Jimmy back on his feet and he reached up to be held again, but Doug pulled the back of the boy's shirt up and over his head to incapacitate him. He squealed in euphoria and flailed his arms about, trying to grab at it as he hobbled away.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Douglas finally said, hands on his hips. He was a few inches shorter than me - me being on the tall side - and had deep muddy brown eyes like mine. It was the only similarity in our features. He motioned down the hall and towards the kitchen, "Hungry? I made pancakes."

"I did too!" yelled Jimmy from the other room.

Douglas smiled, "He helped."

I shook my head, "They smell amazing, but I already ate. Is your dad gone again?"

Eyes downcast, he shrugged and said, "Yeah, he's getting in some more hours before they break for the holiday. He's been gone a lot. It's okay though, uh, that's how it always is." Douglas exhaled, then looked back up at me. Smiling again, he said, "Here, let's get out of the hallway."

We made our way to Douglas's room, where he pushed back the rainbow curtains that served as his door when we entered. He got rid of his door when his brother was born, so he'd be accessible if something went wrong. There was no reason for it now that Jimmy was up and about, but he'd never put it back.

"Are you ever gonna get your door?" I asked him, plopping down on a beanbag chair in the corner of the room. I tried to get settled but it was impossible - whoever invented beanbag chairs must have wished eternal discomfort on humanity.

"Doubt it," Douglas laughed, stretching out on his bed. "It's probably firewood by now. And I think the curtains are nice!"

"They're very... You," I smirked, gazing around at the rest of his room. His walls were covered with clippings from books and newspapers, as well as things he'd written himself. He also had a Jake Gyllenhaal poster on the ceiling above his bed. He loved the shit out of Jake Gyllenhaal. "How's your career going?"

Douglas laid with his hands behind his head, staring at the poster. "Remember that kid's zine that contacted me in the fall? My story is finally going out for them next month, so that'll be a few hundred in the bank. I submitted my poems to three more magazines this month, and we'll hear from them soon enough. I just need to get something consistent," he groaned. "It would really help to have the income."

I looked behind me at the writing that was pinned up, reading it over as I listened to him. "You'll find something. Those magazines have gotta pick you up, you must have a few dozen publications already."

"I do, but none of them are worth anything... No one cares what has your name on it unless they find it in Time magazine, Rolling Stone. Not like I'm good enough for them anyway."

"Oh shut up!" I laughed, pulling my knees to my chest. "Your writing is better than anything they publish, you just don't write articles."

"Because articles are boring."

"Exactly. You need to find sort of literary magazine that can... Appreciate you." I rested my chin on my knees and looked at Douglas, who eventually rolled over and looked back at me.

"You don't care," he said with a blank expression.

"Goddammit Doug, yes I do." I stood up, though it took me two tries to detach myself from the beanbag, then went and laid next to him on his tiny twin bed. "Give me your best work and I'll get it published in Washington. Then you'll see."

"Ha!" he laughed, rolling onto his back again. "That'll never happen."

"Of course it won't, if you don't give me a chance." I nudged him with my shoulder. Ever since one of the members of the school paper turned down his story, Douglas had gotten an awful attitude about his work. He shared his poetry with me on a regular basis, so I knew he had something going for him. If he didn't, I'd tell him. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't?

Douglas waited a moment, then climbed over me and hopped off of his bed. He reached underneath, pulling out a shoebox. Opening it, I saw it contained pages upon pages of typed writing, and he selected a thick stack which he tossed up to me. I grabbed it, then flipped through it and scanned the contents. Most of it I recognized, and some pieces were at least five years old. But it was true, it was his finest work. It'd be easy for me to find someone - anyone - to publish it. And then he would get his confidence back.

I sat up, and Doug came to sit beside me. Clutching the packet of papers, I said, "What did you tell Jimmy? About me leaving."

"I said you were going on vacation over the break to visit your dad."

"What are we gonna do? When I don't come back, and he starts asking questions?"

"You aren't gonna do anything," said Douglas. He looked at me, running a hand through his preened black hair. "You'll be in Washington. I'll deal with the fallout here."

"I'm sorry. You know I'm sorry." I put my hand on his shoulder and then leaned against it. He stayed still, trying to give me the silent treatment, but he couldn't resist and wrapped his arms around me.

"Iz, you could have stayed here with us," he whispered.

I didn't respond.

"We could have brought in a cot and you could've slept in here. You could help with Jimmy. It would be easy."

"No. I couldn't have. You know I couldn't stay here with you. I love you and I love Jimmy, and I can't bear to leave you two, but... My family is important to me. It's a great opportunity for me to see Charlie again, and I...I applied to colleges over there, you... You know..." I trailed off, my voice threatening to break. I hated feeling so vulnerable; I wanted to be strong. Not everything I said was true, since I valued friendships just as much as I did my family, but I needed to find a way to get Douglas to understand that I needed to leave. I felt different than I had when my mother first told me I had to move. Instead of regret and fear, I felt invigorated and ready to become independent. Freedom was waiting for me on the other side of the airport terminal, and I wasn't about to let it get snatched away. Even if it meant leaving my best friend.

Douglas held me tighter. "I know it's hard. You're gonna be okay. We'll be right here, you know. You can come back whenever you want."

I rocked back and forth with him slowly, letting the tears roll down my cheeks. I wasn't used to crying so much, and I assumed the only reason I was even crying was because I was lying. I'd never felt bad about lying before.

Just then, Jimmy peeked his head through the curtains. His face was messy and he had a huge grin on

"Something wrong?" his brother asked him. I sat up straight and composed myself, wiping my hands on my jeans and giving the boy a smile.

He giggled and hid his face so we could only see his eyes, "I spilled the syrup."

Douglas sighed and rolled his eyes, getting up. I followed him, grabbing my backpack, and we went into the kitchen to clean up the five-year-old's mess. While we were on our knees scrubbing, Jimmy got into my bag and appeared under my nose with one of the presents I had brought.

"This one says my name!" he squealed. "Can I open it?"

I looked to Douglas, who nodded. "It's not Christmas yet, but why not?"

Jimmy ripped apart the red and green wrapping paper and gasped. I'd bought him a pair of pajamas with beetles all over them because he'd gotten really, freakishly obsessed with bugs. He immediately began to put them on, but I took them away from him.

"Jim, you gotta clean yourself up before you put your new clothes on, or you'll get them all sticky." I smiled, trying to keep the child from getting upset.

He nodded and ran off to the bathroom, excited to become one with the insects.

Placing the pajamas on the table, I got Douglas's gift out too. He tossed his dirty towel in the sink and walked over to me, where I handed the wrapped rectangle to him. He opened his gift with a bit more restraint than his brother, and his lips pulled up into a smile when he uncovered it.

"Federico Garcia Lorca," said Douglas, running his fingers over the cover of the book. "You know I have a thing for gay poets."

"I wonder why," I said with a laugh.

"Let me get yours." He held up a finger as he walked over to their tiny Christmas tree and plucked one of the gifts out from underneath it. By my side again, he slid the golden box across the table.

I opened my own gift, prying the lid off of the box and pushing away a thin layer of tissue paper. Before me sat a pristine pair of pointe ballet slippers of my exact skin tone. I shook my head, setting them next to me on the table again, and enveloped Douglas in a hug. "Goddammit. How are you so perfect?"

He just laughed, and Jimmy came back into the room. I put my slippers into my bag and helped the little boy into his new pj's, basking in his amazement. It always felt great to make a kid happy. And yet, I knew that a month from now he would be anything but that. I managed to catch a glimpse of the time and realized it had all been eaten up, so I gathered my things and sank down to my knees, calling Jimmy over.

I held out my arms and he came sprinting into them, snuggling his sticky face into my neck. After a second, he pulled back and said, "When are you coming back?"

"Soon," I told him, pinching his cheeks. He laughed and squirmed out of my grasp, and I was glad that he didn't feel the pain that I felt about leaving him. The ignorance of a child was so sweet.

He ran off to watch cartoons, and Douglas walked me to the front door. Now the tears were in his eyes, and he hugged me again with all of his might. I sniffled, grasping his shoulders, and kept him as close as possible as if it would keep me from leaving. But we parted. And we stared at each other, both in silent disbelief, until I turned around and stepped out the front door.

As I stepped over that threshold into the brisk desert air, I was sure I'd never see them again.

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 **A/N: And there's chapter 2! Edward will be appearing in chapters 3 and 4, so hold on to your pants. Things are about to get bloody.**


	3. Instincts

Edward rapped on the open door. He took a step inside of the dim room and leaned on the wall, hands in his pockets. The room was small, just big enough to hold a few bedroom necessities, but it was predominantly empty. Some pieces of clothing were scattered about, and there were countless mud tracks in circles on the carpet. In the center of the room sat a teenage boy, on top of a red cushion. A large dog lay at his feet.

"Aren't you ever going to clean your room?" Edward asked the boy.

He looked up from the animal. The dog perked its ears, its slimy pink tongue lolling from its mouth. "It's fine," he shrugged, motioning to the dog. It stood, stretched, then exited the room without stopping to sniff Edward.

Edward watched the dog pass by him, then focused back on the person in front of him. "Eva isn't too fond of how dirty you make her house. I guess you can do whatever you want with your room, but you need to clean up if you make tracks anywhere else in the house." He took a few steps into the room, surveying it. A raven sat on the sill of the only window in the room, which was covered by blinds. It preened its feathers and watched the man curiously. Edward continued when the boy didn't reply, "I know it's hard because there's snow out there and there's not much you can do, but it would make Eva much happier if you just wiped up when you came in. Especially with all of your animals."

Standing up, the boy nodded, "Alright. I can't keep track of all of them, though. I'm only one person." He moved to exit the room, but Edward stopped him.

"I thought we could do something together," he said, putting his hand up in front of the boy. "I know it's been stressful for you lately."

"It _has_ been," he nodded, waiting for Edward to suggest something.

Edward let him out of the room, starting to walk down the hallway. "Why don't we go out and eat? It's been a while since you were out there for that."

Stiffening, the boy wanted to reject the offer. Edward could tell he didn't want to come, so he turned around and shook his head, "You know, Colin really isn't happy about the way you've been acting."

"I know," the boy whined, shaking his head. "You don't know how hard it is for me! You can't hear them!"

Putting his hand on the boy's shoulder, Edward nodded, "I know, Ruben. Jesse can feel them. I can hear them through you. But it's the only way we can do it without revealing ourselves. It's the least we can do to repay Colin for everything he gives us."

Ruben shrugged off the hand. "He put you up to this, didn't he?" He glared at Edward, backing away.

"Does it matter?" Edward let his hands fall to his sides. "We all just want you to be yourself again. It's awful seeing you this way. You never come out of your room anymore." He motioned downstairs. "We see more of Kazimir than we do of you."

Ruben looked at his feet. He knew he had been neglecting his family.

"This brooding has to stop. Colin told me that he was thinking about contacting the Volturi if you can't get your act together. You're a hazard to the people that live here."

"He told you that? Why didn't he just talk to me?" Ruben frowned, meeting Edward's eyes again.

Edward raised his eyebrows, looking away. "Okay, he didn't tell me that. He only thought it. I'm just trying to get you to see our side here."

"Stop listening in on other people's thoughts. It's an invasion of privacy," Ruben huffed, moving past Edward and heading down the stairs. "Let's go. I guess we can talk more outside."

The two of them made their way downstairs and crossed the living room, where a woman lounged around reading the newspaper. She looked up when they entered, and Edward nodded to her. She pointed to a large, white stag that relaxed on the couch opposite her. "Ruben, could you get Kaz off of the couch? He's getting the fabric all dirty."

"Yeah, sorry Eva," Ruben scolded the animal in Russian, and Kazimir let out a huge sigh. He got onto his gangly legs and shuffled out of the living room with a swish of his tail. "I tell him all the time to stay outside, but he likes it better in here." He went over to the sliding glass doors and opened them, and the large animal ducked and left the house.

"Thank you." Eva closed the doors again from across the room. "Where are you two headed?"

Edward motioned towards the snowy landscape, "We're going hunting so we can fill up before school starts again."

Eva put down her newspaper, surprised. "Oh, wonderful. I'm so glad you're going out again Ruben. We're quite proud of you." She smiled at the boy, who nodded to her and turned to leave.

Edward grinned half-heartedly, putting one hand on Ruben's back and starting for the doors. Eva opened them again, and picked up her newspaper once more.

Outside, the once-lush Washington landscape was covered by a white quilt of snow. Bare birches and hardy evergreens surrounded the sprawling, oak house. Kazimir stood by the edge of the forest, his huge nostrils flaring and exhaling misty columns of air.

Edward and Ruben emerged from the house, clad in snowboots and sweatshirts. Their cold breath was unseen, homogenous with the air around them. They began their excursion into the forest, crunching through the snow. Kaz followed a few paces behind them.

The temptation to listen in on Ruben's thoughts was unbearable for Edward. He tried to focus on the walk, but caught a few snippets of, "Not fair", "Always do this to me", and "Never get any responsibility". Most of his thoughts were in Russian, as usual. It was easier to listen to Ruben than Lucia, however. Lucia might use five different languages in one sentence, depending on her mood. Even Edward thought in Spanish sometimes, but most members of the household spoke English to keep things easy.

Ruben called for Kazimir and the stag caught up with them, walking beside the boy. He stroked the animal's soft fur as they continued onwards, moving deep into the snowy forest. They listened for the movement of creatures in the wilderness, wondering if they would be able to make a good kill this far into the winter. The animals always ran thin around that time of year.

The first to stop was Edward. Thinking that they were far enough away from civilization, he tilted his head up towards the cloudy sky and took in a deep breath. He focused in on the one scent he craved - warm, pulsing blood - and let his ancient lungs deflate. Turning to Ruben, he said, "Follow me?"

The boy nodded. He whispered to his beast and the animal shook its head, great antlers narrowly missing Ruben. He clicked his tongue and Kazimir shot off the way they had come. When he was ready, Ruben took his place next to Edward. With a final glance, Edward pushed off of the snow-covered ground and broke into a sprint.

They ran at breathtaking speeds, covering miles in mere minutes as the trees rushed passed them. The snow, although slowing them, helped to dampen their footsteps and made them nearly silent. Edward's eyes flitted back and forth at every tree they went by, his sharp vision examining them in slow motion. The world dragged on as he lived every intense moment with great passion. He was lucky to even _have_ life.

The two of them came to a stop in a small clearing. They stepped behind the towering pines that made up the forest and watched their prey. A group of white-tailed deer huddled together, grazing on the leaves and branches of the bushes that were surviving the winter. Their heartbeats thudded in Edward's ears, and he struggled to block them out of his mind. Instead, he focused on Ruben's thoughts.

Ruben's head was a cluttered mess of animal dialogue. He grappled with his own morals and the innocence of the group of prey before him. He made no sound as he honed in on the weakest animal of the bunch and separated its communication from the rest. He touched Edward's hand to communicate with him telepathically, and they formed a plan to take their kill.

The two took either side of the clearing and locked eyes with each other. Their target meandered at the edge of the trees, treading with care to nurse a wound in its hind leg. Ruben began a countdown in his mind, and when he reached its end, they both darted out from their cover in an instant and attacked the animal. Ruben bowled it over with little more than a nudge from his superhuman hands, and Edward went straight for the throat. He tore the creature's carotid artery with precise gracefulness, plunging his fangs into the sticky, metallic ooze. Ruben was at the flank, drinking his fill from a gushing artery. The animal protested, but soon succumbed to the blood loss. The herd of deer lost one member, and they scurried away into the cover of the pines.

A frenzy overcame Edward. He swallowed the warm blood and felt it slip down his throat, coating his insides with the crimson fluid. His undead heart pumped with a renewed vigor as fresh material surged through his body and heated his lifeless form. Nails digging into the corpse, he sucked at the wound until the animal was bone dry. Edward groaned when he finally rose his head from his meal, his face stained red. Trails of saliva and gooey, clotted blood hung from his lips. Eyes bloodshot, he stole a glance at Ruben to see how he fared.

Ruben sat on his haunches, wiping the evidence from his cheeks. He cleaned his hands on the snow beside him and sighed, running his fingers over the deer's velvet fur. Edward attempted to clean himself off, but found the whole front of his sweatshirt soaked with the vital fluid and gave up the attempt. He stood.

"Are you alright?" he asked Ruben, shaking snow off of his pants.

Removing his hand from the animal, Ruben stood too. He looked up at Edward, who was a good foot taller than him due to their four year age difference as humans, and shrugged. "I hate it. You know I do. You can hear me."

It was true, Edward never had to ask anyone questions. He always heard their feelings through their thoughts. No secrets were kept from him. He grimaced and nodded to the boy. "But you went through with it."

"I know."

Ruben removed his contaminated sweatshirt and turned it inside out so he could hold it without making his hands dirty again. The cold, winter air cooled his body and he welcomed the loss of heat. His blood vessels felt as if they were on fire, with the hot blood of another beast running through them. Edward followed suit, wringing his garment out in the snow. He hoped Eva could help them with the stains.

After a few moments, they started the trek back to the house. Edward decided to make conversation because he felt uncomfortable listening to Ruben's thoughts: "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" the Russian boy asked, shooting his adoptive brother a glare.

"You fed, even though it hurts you to."

Ruben focused on his feet. "I know it's important to this coven to refrain from taking the lives of humans. And I think of you like family. You're all I really have, and if that's what I have to do to stay with you, I guess I just need to grow some thicker skin."

Edward gave him a pat on the back, "We're proud of you."

Ruben shrugged, a tiny smile playing on his lips. "I know." He looked at Edward again. "But what honestly got me was the Volturi threat. Did Colin actually think that?"

"He did, at one point. You should talk to him about that, though. It's not my place to speak," Edward let out a sigh. Colin was a busy man - he worked the night shift at the local hospital and wasn't seen much by the family. He knew it would be tough for Ruben to find time to speak with him. "I'm sure it was just a last ditch effort sort of thing."

Ruben nodded. "Maybe I'll see him on the weekend."

"Maybe."

Back at his place of residence, Edward stood in the laundry room. He had stripped off his bloodstained clothes and instead donned a set of pajamas. Scrubbing his sweatshirt, he tried to lift the foreign material off with stain remover. Taking his clothes to the dry cleaners every few weeks would save him a lot of time, but it wouldn't be long before Chief Swan showed up on their doorstep. So he toiled away, unaware that another person had entered the room.

"Good hunt?" they asked, opening the dryer.

Peering over from his work, Edward noticed the petite, ebony girl. He focused on his task again, nodding, "I'd say it was. We caught a deer."

She pulled her clothes out and began to fold them. The room filled with a damp warmth and she opened a small window for relief. "By the looks of it, you must have eaten the whole herd."

Edward rolled his eyes, rinsing his sweatshirt with cool water, "I know I'm not perfect like you, Alice. I still try to have a little fun with my food." He scooped up some detergent and fed it into the machine, tossing in his dirty garments. After he turned it on, he leaned on the counter and watched Alice finish her task. He gazed without speaking, until she started folding a pale blue button up. Snatching it from her, he raised an eyebrow, "This is mine."

Alice pursed her lips. "It is." She loaded her clothes into a laundry basket.

"Why do you have it?" he asked, draping the shirt over his arm.

With a huff, Alice balanced the basket on her hip and walked past Edward. He followed, and she threw a glance behind her at him. "I just needed to borrow it."

They walked up the grand, wooden staircase. Edward said in a stern voice, "You need to stop taking things from me just because you're older."

Alice turned to him at the top of the stairs. "Twenty-five years older. You weren't even home to begin with, and I was going to give it back. There's no need to be upset, Edward."

"It's not about the shirt. You didn't ask if you could use it. You never ask," he crossed his arms at his sibling, exasperated.

"I'm sorry," she put on a fake pout, one hand over her undead heart. "Oh honey, my husband just returned from war and all we needed was one nice shirt so we could go out and have a day to ourselves! He couldn't be seen in his uniform, oh no, the memories pain him too much. Please forgive us, we would have asked but you weren't home, dear," she batted her eyelashes at him.

Edward raised his eyebrows, "Jesse is back?"

"He is. Thanks for noticing," Alice swiveled around to walk towards her room. "I think someone wants to talk to you," she said as she disappeared around a corner.

Edward checked over both shoulders to see if anyone was there. Sure that he was alone, he turned down the hallway and opened the door to his own room, opposite Alice's. A soft orange glow bounced off the walls from the sunset. He hung his shirt up in his closet, smoothing any wrinkles out, then crossed his room and ran his fingers over the delicate surface of his record player.

A large shelf took up the right wall of the bedroom, custom made to house all formats of music recordings. From the leftmost side, vinyls were organized by size - 7, 10, and 12 inches. From there, cassettes and 8-tracks were stacked to the ceiling, and on the far left was his CD collection. Since boyhood, Edward collected records and listened to them tirelessly. He reached to his left and slid a Billie Holiday vinyl from its place, handling the old record with great care as he set it on the player and touched the needle to the record. The music filled the room with an old-timey wobble to the famous singer's voice, and Edward closed his eyes as he listened to the soothing sounds. He swayed back and forth, mouthing the words. Beginning to feel the soulful jazz, he danced around his room and snapped to the beat of the song.

"Edward?"

He jumped, flicking his eyes towards the door. There stood a tall man dressed in slacks and a button up shirt. His fine, blond hair was parted to the side and combed back, and his thin lips pulled up into a small smile. He tugged at his tie to tighten it and raised his eyebrows at the younger boy.

Edward stopped the record with one swift movement, and then nodded to the man. "Hey Colin."

"I'm about to leave for the night, but I wanted to check in and speak about Ruben." Since the Russian boy's room was quite close to Edward's, Colin stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He leaned on his desk and asked, "Eva told me you two went hunting today, yes?"

"Right, I talked some sense into him and we caught a deer," Edward said as he took a seat on his bed.

Colin let out a tiny breath of relief. "I'm glad. I was getting worried about him." He ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head, "Over two hundred years with no issues, you would think that we'd be in the clear by now..."

Shrugging, Edward said, "He should be okay now. We fed a lot, I'm sure he's safe to be at the high school."

Turning to look at Edward, Colin pointed at him. "Right. I need you to watch out for him. Walk him to his classes, eat lunch with him. Get Rosalie to accompany you. If something seems wrong, sign him out and tell the school he has a doctor's appointment. We can't risk anything. The Volturi are always on my tail to begin with..."

Edward walked over and patted Colin on the back, "I know, I won't let him out of my sight. But he'll be fine, you don't have to worry. He knows how important it is to stay off the radar."

"Thank you, Edward." Colin stood, bowing his head. He straightened up again and smiled, reaching for the door. "I trust you can handle it."

"Of course I can."

And he left Edward in the moonlit room.

* * *

 **A/N: The Cullen household has enough drama in it to be a sitcom all on its own. More to come! Backgrounds to be revealed!**


	4. Introductions

In the quiet murmur of the next morning, Edward sat on his bed tying his shoes. Heavy, grey clouds covered the light blue sky and turned his room a gloomy mauve. Ready for the day, he stood and swung the backpack next to his bed over his shoulders. It was the first day of the new semester, and Edward was looking forward to his seventeenth graduation. No, eighteenth. He'd lost track.

He exited his room and walked down the hall to check on Ruben. His door was closed, and he knocked to see if he was awake.

"What?" came from inside the room.

Edward opened the door a crack to make sure he was ready. Inside, Ruben lay in his silk pajamas in his plush, velvet coffin. It was wide open, and one of his arms was draped over the side onto the same dog he had been with earlier.

"We're leaving in ten minutes," he reminded Ruben.

"I know," said Ruben. "I think I'll stay home. I have a stomachache." He stared at the ceiling, unblinking.

Sighing, Edward entered. "That's because you hadn't eaten fresh food for six months. Your body gets used to all the stale blood." He moved to pull Ruben out of the coffin, but the shepherd growled and refused to let him pass.

"I think I'm dying."

"Ruben, we've been over this. You go for two years, and then you can have two years to yourself. Like always." Edward peered over the boy.

Ruben rolled over onto his stomach.

"I promised Colin you would behave."

"Colin wants to send me to live with those savages," he muttered, resting his chin on his hands.

Groaning, Edward made to grab at Ruben again. The dog growled more, but this time Ruben hushed it and it became complacent. Edward lifted Ruben out of the coffin and set him on his feet. "First off, they aren't savages," he said as he pulled an outfit from the closet and tossed it at the boy. "And second, he does not want to do that. But he does want you to go to school."

Ruben deliberated for a moment. Then, he pushed Edward out of the room and closed the door.

"Five minutes!" Edward said as he turned and walked down the stairs.

On the first floor, Edward swung by the living room to wish Eva a good day. Then, he headed to the garage. His silver volvo awaited him, and he twirled his keychain as he watched the garage door open. When it was up, he slipped into the driver's seat and checked his watch. There was no way they'd be on time today.

Moments later, Ruben emerged. He hopped in the backseat and sat with his head in his hands. More brooding, Edward thought. He was particularly peeved that his sister was nowhere to be seen. Minutes went by without any sign of her, until she finally passed through the garage with her husband.

"I'll pick you up at lunch?" the burly man asked her.

She nodded, "I'll see you then," and kissed him.

Edward honked.

The girl continued the kiss until the honking became unbearable. Then, she waved goodbye and sat herself in the passenger seat. "Rude." She ran her fingers through her auburn bob.

"We're late, Rosalie," Edward said in dismissal, starting up the car. They sped down the long driveway and headed into town.

The siblings pulled into one of the last parking spots at Aberdeen High. They were five minutes late for the final bell, but made no hurry as they collected their things and headed for class. Rosalie started to walk off towards another part of the school, but Edward stopped her, "We have to get Ruben's schedule."

She raised an eyebrow, "Can't you do it yourself?"

Edward shook his head.

"... Well, if it gets me out of class I don't mind." They walked across campus to the administration office and went inside. There, a brunette girl was at one counter filling out forms, and another student walked in late down the hallway. Edward got an administrator's attention at the counter by the brunette.

He pulled out his ID and placed it on the counter. "Good morning Mrs. Harris, my brother needs to be registered for classes this semester. Could you help us?"

A stout, white-haired woman picked up the ID and examined it. She nodded and smiled at the three Cullens, "Another one of the Doctor's sons? Let's see here..." The woman shuffled through a stack of papers while the family watched, and she soon found the information she was looking for and placed the schedule on the table.

Edward looked it over for a moment. He frowned as he reviewed the classes Ruben would be taking, "I'm so sorry, but I believe Ruben is meant to be in the advanced courses? It's possible my father didn't get the information through in time. He's very busy."

Mrs. Harris took the paper back from Edward. "Oh dear... I'm sure if he's with your family, he belongs with the honor students. Let me check if your counselor is here, okay? We can get that fixed up." She smiled with fondness in her worn eyes.

When she went behind another door to sort the issue, Edward rolled his eyes at his siblings. Ruben locked eyes with him and said telepathically, "This is some sort of academia hell. As if vampirism wasn't enough." Edward snickered at the remark.

A tap on his shoulder brought Edward back to his senses. He turned to see the other administrator on duty trying to speak with him.

"Edward, what classes are you taking?" asked the tall blonde.

He rested his arms on the counter, "I've got biology, fourth year Spanish, physics two, twentieth century history, musical theory, and English. All advanced."

"Oh wonderful," she gestured to the girl she had been working with. "Could you take Miss Swan to biology with you? She's new this semester."

"Well..." Edward turned to Rosalie. He motioned toward Ruben, "Could you watch him?"

Rosalie regarded her brother with displeasure. "Yes. But I'm leaving at lunch."

"I know, I'll be there at lunch. Thanks." He patted Ruben's shoulder, "I'll see you in a few hours. Stay out of trouble. Please."

The boy nodded.

Edward then replied to the administrator, "Looks like that'll be fine." The new student took up her schedule and stepped away from the counter to follow Edward, who had instructed her to do so. He held the door for her and they walked into the hallway, which was empty because of their lack of punctuality.

Before they went to find the classroom, Edward held out his hand. She accepted the handshake and he introduced himself, "I'm Edward, good to meet you."

"I'm Bella," she gave him a warm smile, cheeks rosy from the winter weather. They began their walk through the school and she held her schedule close to her, gazing at her new surroundings in awe.

"You're new, then?" asked Edward.

"Yeah, I just got into town last week. It's pretty cold here!" She shivered in her layered outfit.

"Oh," Edward chuckled, "it is winter. You do look prepared for it, though. We shouldn't be having much more snow than this, and otherwise it's just a lot of rain." He stuck his hands in the pockets of his coat, "Where are you from? Somewhere warm?"

Bella nodded, "Arizona. I can honestly say that I had never even experienced snow before I got here… My dad had me buy a whole new wardrobe when I arrived because he didn't want me freezing to death. You aren't cold?"

"Can't say that I am," Edward shrugged. "But you'll get used to it. January is the coldest, so it will only get better from here." They walked in silence for a minute, then he tried to continue the conversation, "Your father lives here?"

Bella nodded, "My parents are divorced, and my father lives here. He's the chief of police. My mom and her new husband just decided to go live with my grandmother, so I thought I'd spend some time up here instead." She crossed her arms, "Even if the weather sucks."

"You're Chief Swan's daughter?" he asked with brows raised, and the girl nodded. "My father is the head of trauma at the hospital, so we might be seeing more of each other…" Edward trailed off. He wasn't sure how much more he could say about himself - this was always the tricky part about meeting new people, and especially people that he might be bumping into in the future. It was important for him to keep his family under-wraps, as a few misplaced words could send the Volturi to their doorstep. He quickly started on a different topic as they walked up the stairs. "Do you enjoy biology?"

"It's interesting," she said, "and I'm good at it. But I like English more. My friend Douglas, back in Arizona, he wrote a lot of poetry and he liked to read me all sorts of stuff because he was so into literature." Bella looked at her feet, shying away from her host.

"Ah. So far the English course has been fairly standard, we just started Hamlet," Edward noticed that they were in the correct hall and began looking out for their classroom.

"Hamlet? We finished that right before break started. Too bad I'll have to learn about it again, but at least I liked it."

"Without a doubt we'll be reenacting it; you should find that entertaining in the least." He stopped in front of one of the doors and put his hand on the knob. "Well I hope you like lectures too, because I'm sure that's all we'll be doing in this class," Edward turned it and entered the classroom.

Inside, the room was decorated with all posters and articles relating to the biological sciences. The lab-style desks each housed a potted plant, and many others sat on the sills of several great windows. A man a few inches shorter than Edward stood at the front of the classroom, glasses on crooked and patchy beard looking more scraggly than usual. He crossed his arms as his student entered, and said:

"Late, Edward?"

When Bella entered the room behind him, the teacher re-evaluated the situation. Edward spoke up, "I was just showing this new student to her class, I hope you forgive my tardiness Mr. Reed." Then, with a bitter smile, he sat down in the front row at the only empty lab desk.

The teacher held out his hand and introduced himself, "Right of course, I'm Mr. Reed and welcome to biology, Miss…"

"Swan. Bella Swan," she gave his hand one good shake, then turned a bit to survey the class. A whisper ran through the students.

"You can have a seat next to Edward, then. We just had a seat change and those two seem to be the only ones left, since you weren't here when class started." He ushered Bella to her chair and she wasted no time in sitting down and pulling out a notebook. The teacher moved to his spot back at the whiteboard, picking up his marker to resume his speech on cellular respiration.

Edward retrieved his notebook from his backpack and set it on the table. He flipped through it, careful of the ripping pages and bent metal spiral, until he found the section they were working on today. An eternity of schooling left him taking the same notes every time they moved to a new school, so he started saving his notes to keep his mind from going numb. Instead of copying the diagram on the board, he slipped another, smaller journal from his backpack and opened to a blank page.

He attempted to write an entry, noting the date and time on the top line, and commenced scribbling down his thoughts. He described Ruben's unwillingness to leave, and how the administrators gave him an incorrect schedule. Then, Edward found himself describing the girl he'd met, Bella Swan. She was intelligent, he noted, and held herself with poise and grace, although she didn't sound too happy to be here. He, for one, was enjoying the climate and surrounding areas. The game was not as fierce as it was in Alaska, but the cover of the forests and clouds was always appreciated by his family. It was much more comfortable than Texas or Nevada. They visited their homes in the warmer states for a few years at a time in case of emergency or possible discovery. Colin was immaculate in his record, however, and the coven had not had one slip up since Rosalie's husband Francis first joined them in 1935. That was behind them now, and further protocols were in order that kept new members from ruining their reputation.

This was the reason for keeping Ruben out of school, Edward wrote. He refused to hunt animals, after centuries of complying with the rules, and became quite savage in his insistence on drinking human blood. For months, the coven force-fed him animal blood that they collected so Ruben would not be a hazard to the community with his thirst. They were lucky the boy returned to his old habits, or Colin would have had to take more extreme measures to keep his family safe from detection.

Finishing his sentence, Edward put down his pen. He stretched his fingers and turned to shuffle through his backpack. His hand grazed a small metal canister, and he sighed with relief. He'd brought a snack today and was constantly paranoid that somehow he would lose it.

He sat up straight and when he made to pick his pen back up, Edward instead grabbed a folded square of paper. He peeked at Bella, who was taking notes in a rainbow of colours, and opened it:

Where is D13? I have government next!

Edward sketched out a map of the building to point her in the right direction. Although he had been to countless schools in his life, his sense of direction had never failed him. He wrote 'I hope this helps', and slid the paper to his neighbour when the teacher had his back turned. Bella pushed her wavy brown hair behind her ear and dropped the note into her lap to read it. A moment later, Edward felt a tap on his foot and looked over to find her showing him her notes. She had written 'Thanks!' in a multitude of colours, and he gave her a curt nod and smile in reply.

The dull class came to an end and Edward picked up his backpack to head to his next class. "It was nice to meet you," he said as he pushed past Bella, who was speaking with the teacher. She waved to him without looking up, and he pushed her out of his mind to make room for Ruben's thoughts. He tried to find the boy through the bustling crowd of people, but settled on the idea that he must be too far away from him to create a stable telepathic link. When he gave up trying to communicate, he made his way into the adjacent building. Edward's next class, Spanish, was a breeze. He had grown up speaking Spanish to his parents, and nothing could be easier for him.

When lunch rolled around, Edward was able to locate Ruben through telepathy and met him inside the cafeteria at a small, secluded table. The boy looked worn out as he took a seat opposite his adoptive brother, plopping his backpack on the table. Edward did the same and said:

"How is everything going?"

Ruben sighed. "I should have drank more." He slumped onto the table.

"I knew it was too soon," Edward grumbled. "But we can't risk being away any longer. You know, child services. It's hard enough with Lucia." He searched through his jacket pockets, "I have something to tide you over, though." Edward scooted his chair over so he was right next to Ruben, and handed him the metal flask.

The boy flipped it open and gave it a sniff. "Animal, yeah?" Ruben tried to be discrete as he took a sip. And another. And another.

Edward took the flask back before he drained it all, drinking some himself. "Yes, animal. I don't know about you, but I would never cross Colin to get at his stash." He put it back in his jacket.

"I know, it's for emergencies," Ruben reclined in his seat. "But I have to wonder - does it really taste any different?"

"No," Edward lied. He knew that if he told the boy it was the same as animal blood, he might stop trying to get his hands on a human. He only hoped Ruben didn't ask some of the newer members of their coven - many of them subsisted on humans for a period of time before they met Colin.

"Oh," said Ruben. He pulled a bottle from his backpack drank some water. Then, he bared his teeth at Edward, "All clean?"

Edward nodded and slipped on his backpack. The two of them stood up as the bell rang and they headed out of the cafeteria. In the doorway, Edward spotted the girl he had shown around earlier. Bella? He waved and she smiled, but a couple of other girls ushered her away through the crowd.

His next classes were one long blur. During these blocks of boredom, Edward entertained himself by writing music. He'd taken music theory classes nearly every time he was forced into secondary schooling, and he took piano lessons as a child when his parents had extra money. So he composed but never published, for fear of becoming known to the general population and being eradicated by the Volturi. He never even participated in the school orchestra - one hundred years of practice would put him much too far ahead of the other students. Although he would love to perform, he refrained.

The day ended with English, and Edward sat in his seat five minutes before class started. He leafed through his battered copy of Hamlet - broken spine, littered with annotations - and waited for the rest of the students to show. Someone sat in the seat beside him and he paid no attention to them, assuming it was his acquaintance Josh. He wrote a few words at the top of a page, but was interrupted when the person next to him slid their copy of Hamlet onto his desk. Upon looking up, Edward saw that it was Bella who had taken Josh's seat.

"You like Hamlet, I guess?" she asked him, putting her book back on her desk.

"Uh, yes, I do," said Edward, closing his book. He sat up straight in his seat, glancing at her own literature, "You do too?"

"Yeah, it was good. I think I told you this earlier, but we had already finished Hamlet at my other school," Bella shrugged.

"I'd say it's one of Shakespeare's finer works," Edward said. "Have you seen it live?"

She looked at him, astonished, "You mean, in a theatre? I wish."

"It's certainly worth it. Everything is better on stage."

"Are you in drama?" Bella asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, no no," Edward shook his head. "I prefer not to perform."

"Maybe you should try it sometime. I do ballet, maybe you could-" Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, "Sorry, my friends back home are freaking out because they want to know everything." She laughed, "Okay, mostly my mom..."

The final bell rang and Bella stowed her phone. She was introduced to the class by their teacher, but the rest of the day otherwise proceeded as planned with an introductory lecture to Hamlet and the history of Denmark. Because Bella had made it clear that she was well-versed on Hamlet, she was called on often and Edward could sit back and relax. In most classes, his teachers looked to him to answer the mundane questions that he'd heard too many times before, but today he immersed himself in his composition without distraction.

Class ended quicker than he realized, and he hurried to clean up his scrawlings. As he shoved everything in his backpack, he heard Bella say:

"Are you late for something?"

He nodded. Ruben wasn't fit to be around humans - he needed to get the boy out to take him hunting again before he hurt someone.

"Oh okay. I'll see you around, then," she said, strolling out of the classroom. As soon as Edward was ready to go, he sprinted out and down the hall to the parking lot. The temptation to flit down in a split second was great - but years of practice kept him at a human pace.

He met Ruben at his volvo in the parking lot. The boy covered his mouth and looked like he was in agony. Edward unlocked the car and they both hopped in, and as he hit the gas they screeched out of the lot and down the road.

"Are you hurt?" he asked the boy, eyebrow raised.

Ruben sat in the passenger's seat, hunched over himself. He released his breath and coughed, then muttered, "I could have killed all of them."

He looked over his shoulder at Edward. Black bags lay under his dull grey eyes and his razor sharp fangs could be seen over his bottom lip. His nostrils flared with every labored breath as he scented for the very life-giving substance that flowed through his brother's veins.

"My god..." whispered Edward.

They drove on in silence.

* * *

 **A/N: The highly-anticipated meeting! A romance of the century! Or… not? Bella is just like any other girl, and Edward doesn't have time to spend hanging out with the new kid. At least… Not yet.**


	5. Mysteries

Adjusting to my life in Washington taught me a bit about myself. For one, I realized that I am not a fan of winter and I would be content without ever seeing another one. The cold, grey clouds that cover up the beautiful blue sky just depress me. I have no idea when the last time I saw sunshine was. As soon as the clouds leave, I'm going to the beach. Everyone says that you can go to the beach when it's not sunny out, but what's the fun in that? Freezing, windy, and wet, as always, with the addition of sand and seaweed. Regardless, I've had some trouble fitting in, but not everything has been so bad. Charlie is through the roof with happiness about having me back with him, and he even gave me money to buy a bunch of new clothes when I got here. Of course, they were winter clothes because I was anything but prepared for the weather, but he's never been so interested in me since I was really little. I like it; it was enjoyable to see him happy again.

There was someone else who was just as excited to see me back in Washington as my father was: Jacob Black. I almost didn't recognize him when he greeted me on my first full day home, what with his rapunzel hair and deep tan. He had grown not inches but feet, and he looked big enough to smother me with just his biceps. But as he drove his garbage can of a truck to the sidewalk in front of the high school, I saw the warm Jacob that I had known in my childhood - the one I made mud pies with on the riverbank.

"Hey Jake," I said, tossing my backpack in the trunk next to his and climbing into the passenger's seat. The rusty truck groaned under my weight and protested even more when Jacob accelerated out of the parking lot.

"What's up, Bella?" he asked me, one hand on the wheel and the other on the clutch.

I shivered as a rush of icy air blew through my hair, and I rolled up my window. "Trying not to freeze," I told him with a smile, teeth chattering.

Jacob glanced at me and grimaced, then put his window up too. "Sorry, I swear I'm always sweating," he laughed, pressing some buttons on the dashboard. "Uhh..." he muttered, putting his hand back on the clutch. "Yeah, the heat doesn't work. I don't know why I tried, it never has worked. But there's this neat thing you can do -" he put his hands together and blew into them, "- that really helps.

Eyes wide, I watched as he steered the monstrous truck with his knees, blowing into my own hands. When we came to a red light he returned his hands to the wheel, and I asked him, "Could you teach me how to do that?"

"Hey, I can't be teaching you anything dangerous. Your dad's a cop - you know how dead I'd be if you ever got hurt with me?"

"Pretty dead. Like, really definitely dead."

We cruised along the highway, which had been recently salted and was safe enough to drive on again. I was still freezing, so I pulled my knees in close to my chest and tried to warm up. Icy cold rain started to fall from the clouded sky in short bouts. The landscape was beautiful, I had to admit, and as the snowy evergreens whizzed past my window, I could feel the state growing on me. The amount of green that survived in the winter was more than Arizona had throughout the entire year, and it brought a wave of calm over me - a protective sort of aura.

I must have lost myself in the beauty, because Jacob had to repeat my name twice to get my attention. I tore my attention from the window to look at him.

"Oh sorry, I just thought I'd ask how this week went. Did you have anyone to sit with at lunch? My lunch period isn't the same as yours, sorry about that! If you had been here last year, we would have though, since sophomores and juniors eat together... Oh well, you know." Apologizing was his dirty habit.

"Don't worry about it," I assured him. "A few of the girls from my psychology class sat with me. Do you know Angela and Jessica?"

He sucked in a breath through his teeth, "... Can't say I do, Bella."

"How about Mike? Mike Newton?"

I noticed him light up at that name, "I do know him! I think he was in track for a year or two with me."

"You ran for the track team?" Jacob seemed to me like the kind of person who would pump iron all day, not run.

"Well, I didn't say I was any good at it," he scoffed. "I did it for two years because I thought I might get better at it, but that never happened. So I quit that this season, and instead I took a few weightlifting classes."

I eyed his arms; veins bulged from his muscles as he steered his truck. "You can't think I'm going to believe you got completely ripped from a couple of classes."

"So it was more than a few! Maybe five times a week."

"Five times a week!" I gaped at him. I was hard to imagine the twelve year old Jacob I remembered from my childhood taking up such an obsession with his body.

The boy rolled his eyes, still smiling. "It's fun."

"Jake, roller coasters are fun."

"Sorry!" he laughed as he parallel parked. I hadn't realized that we arrived - the town was smaller than I thought. As I hopped out of the trunk, I grabbed my umbrella. Even though it had stopped raining, I couldn't be sure that it wouldn't start up again. Jacob led me to the front of the studio, slipping into his flannel - I couldn't fathom how he survived in this cold.

"Here we are," he said, opening the door for me. I stepped inside and he followed, then we both stood near the doorway for a minute to gather our senses. There was a small reception area to the right, where a woman spoke on the phone, but most of the building was consumed by towering mirrors. Soft orchestral music reverberated off the walls. A group of six girls stood in a line wearing nude coloured leotards with their hair tied up in buns. They spun across the smooth dance floor one by one and each performed a grand jete. I watched in envy until Jacob pulled me towards reception, where the woman had put down her phone and was eying us with confusion.

"How may I help you two?" she asked, pen in hand.

I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, clearing my throat, "Hi, I just moved here from Arizona and I wanted to see if I could use this space for practice?"

The receptionist raised an eyebrow at me and Jacob shifted. I didn't look at him as she said, "Unless you have proof of previous excellence, we require all of our dancers to take lessons from our professionals."

"I understand." Holding up a finger to her, I reached into my pocket and unfolded a certificate. "I started taking ballet lessons when I was six and I've been dancing ever since. Here's the proof of training my last studio gave me when I completed their advanced course last year," I handed her the paper.

She smoothed it out and read it over once, then again. "Well, we can't argue with this. We have free practice on sunday mornings and evenings, and every day after the high school gets out for two hours. Come by during one of those times and we can set up a regular schedule with you, okay?" Her demeanor had shifted and her voice sounded more relaxed when she realized that I had some background in the art.

"That would be fantastic. Thank you!" Grinning, I made to leave, but she said something more before I turned around.

"Will this young man be joining us?"

Jacob gave the receptionist his most innocent smile, "No m'am, I'm sorry, I'm just not graceful enough to be a dancer like my friend."

"You never know until you try. We have dozens of male dancers here - come in with her and you can have a lesson for free."

"A-alright, will do," he grinned, then grabbed my arm and we exited the studio in a rush. Jacob and I stood outside as he gathered himself, and I could see his cheeks flushing a bright pink under his olive skin. He continued to hold my arm in an iron grip and I had to pry him off of me.

"Jake, you're gonna give me a bruise," I said in a quiet voice, looking up at him. He stared straight ahead at his truck. "What's wrong?"

"Never take me to that studio again," he said with a long exhale.

I shook my head and gave his shoulder a light punch, "She just thought you were cute! It's a compliment." The boy was still flustered and my smile faded, "Sorry, nevermind her. Why don't we grab some coffee?"

Jacob nodded and we walked a block until we found a tiny coffeeshop - Aberdeen Brews. We holed ourselves up in the very corner and I ordered drinks for the both of us. I hadn't warmed up much since leaving the school, and a steaming coffee was just what I needed to get my blood circulating again. As I stood by the counter and waited, I stared out the shop's window and noticed rain beginning to strike the glass. It was pouring by the time our drinks were done.

"One black coffee for a man of the same name," I said, setting Jacob's cup on the table when I came back over. He snickered and wrapped his hands around the ceramic mug, holding his nose over the coffee. Steam rose up onto his cheeks. I tasted my latte and let him take a few sips of his drink before I asked him, "Hey, how's your dad doing?"

He rubbed his eyes and I put down my drink. Before I could apologize, he started: "Not great. It's been really hard since both of my sisters have left. He's always in pain and it's really tough to make sure he takes all of his medicine on time and everything, with school. It's sad, to see him like this. The numbness keeps going up his legs and he says that he's starting to lose feeling in his fingers too. You know he's in a wheelchair, right?"

"Yeah, I think I saw him in it last time I came out here," I said, almost whispering.

"Well, it's getting worse. We can't afford to hire someone to stay at home with him, so Rachel is coming back for a few weeks, or... Longer. We haven't decided yet."

"Isn't he Charlie's best friend? I'm sure he could get you guys some help."

Jacob hesitated before he said, "He has, and we're grateful. He's spoken to the head doctor at the ER and got our debts cleared. Dr. Cullen doesn't charge us anymore when we come in. He's a good guy..." he trailed off, staring into his cup.

"Dr. Cullen? Isn't that Edward's dad?" My face contorted in confusion. The student that had shown me around on my first day had the last name of Cullen - it couldn't possibly be that common.

Jacob nodded.

"Oh. He's in a few of my classes, I think he mentioned something about having a doctor for a dad… He seemed interesting." It was a bit strange to think that Edward's family lived on a doctor's salary, since I had noticed Edward using old, beaten up books and school supplies - not to mention his clothing style was a bit outdated. Maybe he had hand-me-downs from a brother, but I thought the son of a doctor would have only the best. "Doesn't he drive a volvo?"

Snorting on his coffee, Jacob laughed and said, "You're completely right. We had the same lunch last year and I think he gave me a ride a few times. His sister can be... Really something. But Edward is fun."

I nodded, "He seemed extremely smart but he didn't talk that much, especially after my first day. I didn't think he really liked me."

"Yeah, school isn't his favourite. Sometimes he gets in these moods and he can be really grumpy for a while. It's probably just family stuff, they're really close. He'll warm up to you, though." Jacob was very interested in this topic, and it both comforted and intrigued me. I was glad to be on a happier note, and I had never thought that he would be friends with Edward - let alone know him.

"He wasn't at school today," I mentioned.

Shrugging, Jacob said, "Again, family stuff. Maybe not even something bad - they go out camping a lot. Though, they usually do it when it's nearer to summer. They're crazy about nature."

"Are you good friends with him or something?"

"Uh," he looked away. "I knew him pretty well last year. His family had just moved here - from Alaska, I think. They're really private so I only ever saw him at school and I never learned that much about him. I must have been his only friend other than his siblings. But they don't even act like siblings, they're all adopted."

"They are? I thought maybe he and his sister were twins, and that's why they're the same age." Edward's sister Rosalie was in my psychology class, and I'd had a very brief conversation with her when I asked her how to get to the bathroom. She was cold and dismissive, and claimed she didn't even know where a bathroom was. Who didn't go to the bathroom?

"No, Dr. Cullen adopts all these impoverished kids and they live somewhere out in the forest. No one's even seen their house. A few people tried to follow them home one day last year, but they must have known they were being watched because Edward just led them way out into the middle of nowhere and they ditched their car. No clue how they were able to get home after that, but they did. Anyway, I've only ever seen Edward and Rosalie, but I've heard there's a younger freshman and no one's seen the rest of their adopted kids."

Finishing my latte, I turned this information over in my head. Why did no one seem to know anything about this family? Even Jacob, self-proclaimed as Edward's only friend, barely knew more than I could have scrounged up after a few more weeks at school. Maybe they had been traumatized by their lives before doctor Cullen came and saved them, and so they all kept to themselves? Or maybe they lived a lavish life at home and wanted to keep it hidden from the public? I was fascinated by how mysterious Jacob was making their family sound, and the assumptions I was conjuring up became more and more outrageous. I continued the conversation, "Why aren't you guys friends anymore?"

"We just, I dunno, we grew apart over the summer. I never saw him because I didn't know where he lived - actually, he never even gave me his phone number so I couldn't contact him. His dad is always at the hospital, though, so I knew they were around. But I never asked, since talking to the doctor about my dad was always more important than that. They seem like they don't want to be bothered anyway."

I nodded and stared at the coffee grounds at the bottom of my cup. No phone number, no evidence of their house, no sign of the rest of their family. They were hiding something. A huge fortune? Dying mother? Drug cartel? What could they be keeping from the world?

Jacob checked the time. "Oh Bella, I gotta get home." Snapping out of my trance, I looked up and slipped my jacket back on. He downed the rest of his coffee and wiped off his upper lip. "I'm sorry, I just need to get home to my dad."

Excusing Jacob's apology, we left and ran to his car but still were drenched by the downpour. Jacob gave me a blanket but I shivered the whole way home.

When we pulled up to my house, the rain was lighter. I was about to jump out when Jacob said:

"Hey, I'm going to a play with my sister next Saturday to welcome her back, and I thought you'd like to come. We have two extra tickets, so you can bring someone. Sorry, I know you've only been here for a couple weeks, so you can just take Charlie if that's all you can find on short notice." He handed me the tickets that he retrieved from his glovebox.

I looked them over, "Sweeney Todd?"

"You bet your ass it is," he said, grinning.

"Thanks Jake, I'll definitely be there."

He pounded his fist on his steering wheel, "Great! You give me a call if you need a ride, okay?"

"Got it."

"See you next week!"

As he drove away, I stowed the tickets in my pocket and pulled out my keys. I knew exactly who I would be taking to that play.

* * *

 **A/N: Are pigs flying, or… Are Jacob and Edward friends? I hope everyone is glad to hear from Bella again! She will be narrating for the next chapter, as well.**


	6. Surprises

Saturday came and went, and Sunday roared into my life when my alarm blared at eight in the morning. I had forgotten to turn it off from the previous day, and in doing so now I rolled out of bed to make myself something to eat. First, I stepped outside of my room and called for Charlie. No answer. He must have left before dawn again. I couldn't imagine how he had the motivation to get himself up like that whenever they needed him - but I guess that's the gig when you go around saving people.

Slipping into my robe, I took the stairs two steps at a time and went into the kitchen. I checked the fridge for sustenance: an empty egg carton, half a cup of milk, an old black banana, and ketchup. Delicious. I set the milk on the counter and opened all of the cupboards too. My grand total came to a cup of a miscellaneous cereal-granola mixture. I poured the medley into a bowl even though I was sure it wouldn't taste good, and topped it off with the rest of the milk after I checked to see that it hadn't gone sour.

Chewing on my less-than-crunchy breakfast, I flipped through a stack of mail that lay on the counter. It was all stuff for Charlie - bills, work, advertisements - but on the bottom of the stack was a large tan envelope with my name on it. I put my dish in the sink and tore it open at the seal, sliding out the contents and setting it on top of the envelope. It was from Douglas.

I walked back upstairs and set the stack of papers on my desk so I could get dressed. I had tried to contact Douglas every day since I had arrived here in Aberdeen, but he refused to reply via text or instant message. It was unlike him to be so quiet to me - he was a real chatterbox whenever he saw me in person. This mail was the first contact I'd had from him in weeks. Eager to read, I did up the button on my pants and sat down at my desk. I picked up the first page and read it to myself aloud:

"Dear Isabella,

I apologize for not contacting you, but it feels too normal to give you a call or a text. Nothing is normal anymore and I don't want to pretend that it is. This household is not the same without you.

Jimmy is starting to wonder. I told him you were snowed in and you should be home soon, but this seems futile. I'm only delaying his anguish. He's already stained your pajamas, too. He's still wearing them anyway because he wants you to see them when you come home so you know he likes them.

I've enclosed some more poetry that I found laying around. Feel free to use it if you find somewhere to publish my writing. All of the magazines contacted me. They accepted all of the submissions.

I hope you're doing well and staying warm. There's always room for you here, at home.

Love,

Douglas"

I put the letter to the side and looked through the rest of what he had sent to me. Most of it was poetry, which was his favourite thing to write, but there were a few short stories in there too. It was all very depressing and grim, and I couldn't bear to read it all right then. I knew he was trying to make me feel a bit bad for not staying with him, but I wasn't having any of it. It wasn't my fault. None of this was.

Douglas was very important to me, but I wasn't about to let him dictate my life. I knew he was an independent, resourceful person and he could care for himself and his little brother without my help. The kid was five years old now and he went to school every day, which took the burden off of him and his father for a while. They would be okay.

I didn't need the guilt, either.

Packing everything back into the envelope, I stored it underneath my bed with the other poetry he had given me. I knew I had to reply to him, so I wrote myself a note and stuck it to my computer. I would have to write the letter when I was feeling less spiteful, or else I'd just end up disappointed.

To get my mind off of the contrition I felt over my move, I brought my backpack downstairs to do some homework. The classes at my new high school felt easier than what I was used to, but I assumed it was only because I was ahead of what they were teaching. Hamlet was a breeze - I didn't even have to consult the text to answer all of the questions we were given. This story was one of the few required readings that grabbed my attention and dragged it through the plot all the way to the very last word. The concept of a family betrayal so unjust that the entire unit falls apart is dramatic in every sense, but what really got to me was how the characters reacted. Hamlet's deep, wallowing depression and crazed antics; Ophelia's broken heart and unfortunate death. It seemed real. Apart from the ghosts, of course. Ghosts aren't real.

My day passed with little other excitement. I finished rearranging my room, which had been transformed into a guest room after I stopped visiting in the summers. I pinned some photos that I had brought with me to the baby blue walls and moved my bed into the middle of the wall instead of crunched up against the window. Just like that, I felt more comfortable in the space. Who said Charlie's place couldn't be home? It was home to me when I was a kid, and it could be home again.

As I picked up some stray items off of the floor, my phone rang across the room. I went to my bed and dug it out from underneath my comforter to answer it:

"Hi mom, what's up?"

"Just checking in on you! How was your weekend? Did you hang out with any of your new friends? Are you warm enough there? Is everyone treating you well?"

"Yeah everything is going great. I saw Jacob on Friday and I got into a ballet studio so I'll be able to keep practicing. Nothing much else, but everyone I've met has been really nice and welcoming."

"I'm so glad you're well! Phil and I miss you."

"I miss you guys too, mom. Anything new happen since you last called?" She called me every day, sometimes twice.

"Yes!" That was surprising. "Phil got a job offer from a private minor league team as a coach."

"Wow, that's awesome mom! Things are really coming together."

"We're so excited! I'm throwing Phil a party tomorrow."

"That's great - I'm glad you two are getting along well out there. And it's good I moved out here when I did, then. Now you and Phil can follow his job and you don't have to worry about me."

"I always worry about you."

"I know you do, but everything's fantastic here. I'll come visit you in the spring. Got that?"

"Got it."

"Anything else?"

"Stay out of trouble for me, Bella. And if there is even the idea of a boy in your life, call me right away because you have to tell m-"

I cut her off, "I will, I will, I promise. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye sweetheart!"

I knew my mother would love Florida. She was just about addicted to the sun, and I knew she would enjoy herself with Phil wherever her life took her. I felt a bit more confident in myself after that phone call, as I set a few events in motion that would not have been able to happen had I not taken the initiative to bring myself to Washington. Although I wasn't sure that this opportunity would lead to complete success for Phil, my mom could use a little vacation from the dull desert.

I checked the time as I started to put my phone away, and was surprised to find that the day was all but behind me. My stomach growled - there was nothing left to eat in the house that wasn't growing something. I searched through my contacts and called Charlie.

It was a while before he answered: "Hi Bells, how's it going?"

"Doing just fine, dad. How much longer are you gonna be out?"

"Oh, well, I'm not exactly sure… I'm sort of tangled up in something right now. Fighting crime, you know."

"I know, saving the world. Or at least the county. I was just wondering because it's getting late and there's no food in the house - should I go out and get something?"

"Damn you're right, I was supposed to go to the store last week. I'm sorry about that, I could have left you some money."

"It's okay dad, I-"

"Tell you what; I'm down at the hospital right now interrogating some hooligans and whatever. You come here and I'll find a way to have someone else do this dirty work, and we can go get a bite. How's that?"

"Yeah that's good, I'd like that." I was glad he had opted to buy food instead of cooking it - he wasn't a gifted chef. "You're okay with me driving your car? How'd you even get to work?"

"I got a ride with my squad partner, thought you might want to go somewhere later. I trust you Bells, you can drive that old thing. I gotta finish this up now kid, I'll see you soon."

I put my phone in my pocket after he had hung up and looked out my window. The sun was setting, warm and pink, dampened by the grey clouds. I put some shoes on and grabbed my wallet, then headed downstairs to the garage.

The rusty garage door creaked as I pressed the button to open it. I plucked Charlie's key off of its hook on the wall beside me and unlocked his car. It was an old Nissan altima - a real trooper - that hadn't been cleaned since somewhere around last summer. Regardless, I climbed in and started it up, driving out of the neighbourhood. Aberdeen was a compact city, and Charlie's place was about an equal distance from the hospital, police station, and high school. It was a quaint little suburb, situated in a patch of forest, that stayed quiet during the majority of the day.

Without thinking, I slipped my hands off of the steering wheel and lay them by my side. My knees jammed up against the wheel and held the car steady as I drove on the wet road in the dimming light. I remembered Jacob so effortlessly maneuvering his truck, and I tried to do the same with my dad's old car. I didn't find it very difficult, and started to accelerate more and more until I was way above the speed limit. Frosty trees blurred outside my window. The sky grew dark with the setting sun.

An animal darted out of the trees in front of my windshield, a streak of white in the dusk. My knees wobbled and I lost control of the vehicle. I slammed on the breaks, hands grasping the wheel again, and screeched to a stop sideways across the road. I watched the deer disappeared into the evergreens on the other side of the road, my heart beating so fast that I became dizzy. I needed to be more careful. Little splatters of scarlet blood marked where the animal had crossed, but I doubted that I had hit the poor thing. I half expected a mountain lion to come chasing after its dinner as I reversed and then continued into town.

The moon was out as I pulled into the hospital parking lot. I locked Charlie's car and headed into the ER to look for him. The waiting room was less busy than I expected it to be, and I was happy to not come across anyone puking or bleeding in front of me as I walked over to the nurse stationed at reception.

"Hello, what can we help you with today?" he asked me, looking up from some paperwork.

"I'm just here to see my father."

He gave me a sympathetic frown, "I'm sorry, visiting hours are over for the day. They start again tomorrow at noon."

"No no, I mean, my dad's a cop. He said he was here talking to a patient...?" I stood on my toes to try to peek into the back room.

"Wait, are you telling me you're Chief Swan's daughter?" He put down his pen to regard me with his full attention.

I stood flat on my feet again. "Yes, I'm Bella Swan. Did he tell you I was coming?"

"He sure did. Chief Swan's been in here almost every day for ten years and he's never introduced us to his daughter - we're very excited to meet you." The nurse grinned and I smiled back, flattered. I knew Charlie was a good cop, but I didn't realize how fond the staff was of him. "Right now he's working on a hit and run case," the nurse continued, "but we'll get you back there to see him anyway." He stood up and exited the small, enclosed room, and another nurse took his spot. Then, he held the door open to the rest of the hospital and motioned for me to come in.

I entered the large, white-tiled room and scanned the area. Patients lay in sick bays with IVs attached to their arms, and nurses hurried to and from their desks carrying medical equipment of all sorts. Doctors stood with clipboards and stethoscopes, examining their patients with careful precision, and my eyes finally caught the black and blue outfits of the police squadron in one of the back corners.

The nurse led me to them and the crew of crime-fighters watched me come over. "This is Chief Swan's daughter," he told them, as if I was a celebrity. They all gave me their hellos and introduced themselves and I, overwhelmed, tried to remember everyone's name as they told them to me.

One of the women turned to me, "Your dad's in the third trauma room down the hall. We'll finish up here for him if you two want to go on home."

Nodding, I thanked her, and then the nurse ushered me out of the crowd and to the trauma room. Before leaving me, he said, "If you need anything else, ask for Robin." His name, of course. "But I hope we won't be admitting you any time soon. Bye now, hun!" He left me in the hall to return to his station.

I opened the door and looked inside the room, unsure of how traumatic a trauma room might be. To the relief of my stomach, the patient that Charlie was speaking with had already been patched up and lying in his cot devoid of blood. He looked at me when I entered, and my dad spun around to see who was there. When he realized who it was, he put down his clipboard and smiled at me.

"Hey kiddo, come on over here."

I moved next to Charlie, but felt uncomfortable about interrupting him.

"This is Mr. Berkov. Guy got hit by some idiot on the road and we're trying to track him down." The patient waved at me weakly and I motioned to him to stay still.

Glancing over at my father's clipboard, I said, "Are you sure you're ready to go?"

He nodded, "All I have left to do is get the guy's history from the doc. Should be easy as hell, don't worry." Charlie got up, taking his clipboard with him. "I'll be back in a second; meet my pride and joy Bella," he told the patient, patting me on the shoulder on his way out.

Mr. Berkov stared past me without saying anything and I looked at my feet. Must have been some accident. I was about to say something when I heard the door open again behind me and swiveled to leave with my father.

Standing in the doorway instead of Charlie was a handsome doctor. At least I assumed he was a doctor due to his attire, but he almost looked too young and full of life to be in such a demanding profession. He strode into the room, white labcoat flapping behind him, and pulled a pen out of his pocket. I was a few inches shorter than him and I watched as his icy blue eyes scanned his patient's charts. After a moment, he lowered the folder and smiled first at the patient, then at me. A warm, radiant energy filled the room and my anxiety eased.

"It's been quite a night, hasn't it Mr. Berkov?" he said with an air of suave confidence. "Good news, your scans from radiology are back and all of your injuries are treatable." He slid x-rays from a huge envelope and put them up on the viewbox for his patient to see. "There's an oblique fracture on your tibia, right here, and you have a couple of broken ribs," he pointed to the scans, then turned back to us, "But your lungs are in perfect condition and you don't have a concussion. We will be keeping you for a few nights upstairs in the ICU to monitor you, but you're going to make a full recovery very soon."

The doctor placed the medical records back at the foot of his patient's bed and finally turned to me. He peeled his gloves off and held a hand out in front of him, "Who may I have the pleasure of meeting here tonight?"

I took his hand and shook it, almost shivering from his touch. I hoped he didn't touch patients with hands that cold. "Isabella Swan."

"The Chief's daughter, that's right. Apologies, I should have known it was you. I'm Dr. Cullen, head of the ER." His teeth shone a brilliant white as he grinned at me. It was becoming unnerving.

"Oh I've heard some great things about you, actually," I said, blinking.

"Really?"

"You helped my friend's father, Billy Black?"

He chuckled. Really, the doctor chuckled. "What an amazing family. I'm glad to do anything I can to help them."

"They definitely appreciate it." Turning over some information in my head, I added, "Do you have a son?"

Dr. Cullen nodded and, seeing as the patient was asleep, escorted me back into the hallway to finish our conversation. "I have two. Are they causing trouble?" His blond brows furrowed as he watched my expression.

Pursing my lips, I said, "No, I don't think so, it's just that I think one of them is in my class. Edward?"

His composure returned to its relaxed state, "Yes, Edward. Wonderful boy. Has he treated you well?"

"He's been great, I'm just trying to make some friends to help me settle in and its, you know, it's good that my dad knows you guys so I have a head start. But um, is he sick? I don't think I saw him on Friday," I asked cautiously.

There was a pause before he said, "He may have been a bit under the weather; I can't be sure because I work the night shifts. It's unfortunate, but it has to be done..." Dr. Cullen suddenly perked up and motioned for someone to come over. "Chief Swan! I've met your daughter and she's marvelous - how proud you must be."

My dad was at my side, arm around my shoulders, "You got that one right, doc. How are your boys?"

"They've been great, doing amazing in school beyond my wildest dreams. I-" His pocket buzzed and he glanced at his pager. "I'm so sorry, I have to take this - trauma again. So glad to have met you, Isabella!" Dr. Cullen called behind him as he ran off down the hallway.

I watched his coattails billow behind him until he was out of sight, wishing that I had introduced myself as Bella. For someone I expected to be stuck up and conceited, Dr. Cullen had turned out to be the most amiable, confident person I'd ever met. This only made me more convinced that the Cullens had something to keep from the public.

Then, Charlie patted my shoulder once more and asked:

"So where are we goin for dinner?"

* * *

 **A/N: Hope everyone is enjoying a hot slice of Dr. Cullen pie tonight! Someone should help teach Charlie how to shop for groceries. The return of Edward begins in the next chapter.**


	7. Interruptions

"Good morning!"

Edward pulled his covers over his head and rolled onto his side, groaning. "I'm not getting up yet, Alice."

The petite girl walked over to the wall opposite his bed and pushed back the long curtains from the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The room stayed dark. Alice huffed, tilting her head. It was possible she had mistaken the time.

Nevertheless, she strode back to Edward and took a corner of his comforter, yanking at it. Edward held on tight, determined to stay in bed. Muffled under the blankets, he said:

"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no."

She dropped the blanket and let it go limp over her brother's body. With a sigh, Alice sat at the end of his bed and said, "That's not fair. You have to at least let me ask."

Throwing the covers away from his head, Edward turned to look at her. His eyes were encircled by black bags and his mouth parted, showing his fangs. "Fine. Ask me."

Alice furrowed her brows, looking him over. "You didn't feed," she told him.

"No. I didn't. Now ask me so I can go back to sleep."

"Edward, that's dangerous. You'll get sick," she said, reaching over to touch him.

He batted her hand away and lay his head back down on his mound of pillows. "I'll be fine. I got busy yesterday so I couldn't go out. I'll just hunt later today."

Alice shook the boy's legs. "Come on, get up! We can find you something leftover from Ruben. Colin isn't home yet."

Edward shook his head, "There isn't any left. He drank it all."

"I'm sure we can find you something."

"You know what?" He sat up straight, adjusting his flannel pajamas and licking his lips. "If you find me something to drink, I'll do it. I'll play for you."

Alice's face lit up like a bolt of lightning, "Yes! Yes, get up get up!" She wrenched the blankets away from Edward, who took a dainty step out of bed and stretched himself. With a quick glance from him, Alice slipped out of her brother's room to let him get ready.

Edward stood in front of his window, gazing into the jet black forest that went on for miles around their home in all directions. He began to undress as he mused: technically, his family controlled comings and goings of the forest from here through the entire Olympic national park. More of the land had been disputed in the past when Colin and Ruben first made their claim in Washington, but the Quinault tribe of Native Americans encountered them trespassing and drove them out. They said they didn't want their kind near their people - having recognized their condition from folk tales and lore passed down through the centuries. Colin explained their peaceful nature, but the tribe insisted they were dangerous and forced them to live elsewhere. Discovering what later was made into the national park, the two of them settled further inland and adopted the name of the Olympic coven.

Now, the appearance of the Cullens only lived on in the tribes' legends.

It was possible some of the descendants still believed the tall tale of vampires prowling around their native lands. Edward remembered a boy he'd met last year at school - Jacob. He must have had some ancestry with the tribe, he thought. He'd never bothered to ask him, lest he question his reasons, and instead kept his distance while trying to seem as normal and genuine as he possibly could. The first year in a new place was always tough anyway, he didn't need a human to start an absurd rumor about his family based on some old story. Even if it was true.

"Are you ready yet?" came from outside the door.

In a rush, Edward pulled on clean clothes and zipped out the door to his bedroom, closing it without a sound. Alice gave him a satisfied smile and they started down the hall together.

They walked down the grand staircase in the center of the house and made their way to Colin's study. Alice opened the door with the gentlest touch, as to not disturb the rest of the family, and they entered. The back wall was made into a bookshelf, and was overflowing with literature. Stacks of unorganized books laid all around the walls and on his antique kingwood desk. The man could never get enough knowledge.

In the corner of the room, Alice unlocked a trapdoor. As far as Edward knew, Colin never hid anything from the family and the lock was only for a potential human break-in. The wood couldn't stand a chance against the strength of any of the vampires to begin with, so there was no need to keep secrets.

They descended into the basement, where Alice took Edward's hand and led him through a corridor. The underground room was used for storage, and they passed by old furniture and medical equipment as well as countless more books. Edward even recognized a few of his old things - a leather armchair with a ripped cushion, for one. What a shame. He missed that chair.

At the end of the corridor was a wine cellar, stocked with bottles dating back to the seventeenth century. The air was stagnant and frosty. Alice let go of Edward and stepped in front of the back wall, bracing herself against it. She gave the stone slab a strong shove and it creaked on rusty hinges as it swung forward out of their way. With a look over her shoulder, she escorted her brother into the tiny recess of the basement.

The room was illuminated by several dim LEDs on the ceiling. Although the family could see just fine in complete darkness, it was important that everything on the shelves was unobscured in case of an emergency. This room was even colder than the rest of the underground, and Edward swayed on his feet to keep his blood flowing.

Alice held her nose to the metal canisters that filled the shelves, eyes closed. She inhaled deeply and walked up and down the single aisle at different heights to get the scent of every vessel.

"There's none left," Edward said after a minute, interrupting her concentration.

Shaking her head, Alice continued her efforts. She opened her eyes a few times in false assurance, but at one point her eyelids flew open in a frenzy and she plunged her arm behind all of the canisters to the very back of the bottom shelf. There she retrieved a shiny, metal, thermos-like bottle and brushed the dust off of it. Turning it over a few times to mix the contents, she handed it to Edward.

"I _told_ you I could find it."

Doubtful that it was still any good, he unscrewed the cap and took a whiff. To his surprise, the viscous liquid was still as fresh as it was the day that it was gathered. He turned away from Alice to gulp it down, embarrassed that he had lost his bet. What's the use betting against a psychic, anyway?

Colour flushed Edward's cheeks when he licked the last drop from the brim, capping it again. He swished saliva around in his mouth to get rid of the red stains on his teeth, then looked back at Alice. She stood, smug, with her hand out. Taking the canister from Edward, she tossed it in a bin to be cleaned later and ushered him out.

As they traveled back upstairs, Edward asked:

"So, it is the same deal as last time?"

"Yes, exactly that. I need more rehearsal time."

"I still don't understand why you can't practice here, or at least use a recording. I have any song you could think of in my room."

"It's much more fun with _you_ there!" she whined. "Besides, I can't keep stopping and starting a recording when I mess up. It's easier to just have you play again."

"You don't mess up anyway."

"Yes I _do_." She shot him a smile, "Sometimes."

Soon, the two of them stood in the garage waiting for the door to open. Machines were so, so slow. As Alice walked over to her bright yellow Porsche, Edward held up his hand.

"I have to take the others to school. I can't go."

She pulled on the handle with a frown, her charcoal curls bouncing as she plopped down in the driver's seat. "Rosalie drives like an angel."

Edward begrudgingly took the other seat and buckled in. A crash couldn't harm him, but the threat of getting a ticket from some nosey police officer was enough to make him wear a seatbelt anyway. When they were on their way, he said, "Who's taking care of Lucia?"

"Jesse," Alice raised an eyebrow, stating the obvious.

It took Edward a moment to put the pieces together, "Oh shit, I forgot he was back. I haven't seen him yet."

"He's tired. I wouldn't bother him; he'll come out when he's ready."

"But he's alright, yeah?"

"Yes."

Dropping the subject, he rested his chin on his palm and stared out the window. The sun was just starting to rise over the treetops, covering the city in a white-orange glow. Everything blurred together and his eyelids drooped, but he shook himself awake. There was no point in sleeping now.

They arrived at the school in good time and Alice led him to the performing arts center, where they hopped the fence with ease. She walked to the side door and produced a key, fitting it into the lock and swinging the door open. They entered, turned on the house lights, and Alice sprinted up and onto the stage. Edward followed her at a slower pace and took a seat on the piano bench off to the left side of the stage. They both peeled their gloves off and tossed them on the lid of the piano. Alice stood beside him as he uncovered the keys and stretched out his fingers.

"What am I playing today?" he asked her, running up and down a few scales.

"Prelude number fifteen, by Chopin," she replied, waltzing away to warm herself up.

"Raindrop? That's a new choice."

"I like it!"

"It's a masterpiece." Edward situated himself with the tonality of the piece and sighed as he waited for Alice to be ready. Her refusal to negotiate another time or place had put him in a petulant mood. He would have much rather stayed in bed to regain a bit of energy, but he was grateful for the meal she had been able to get him. The fresh, strong blood in his veins helped him stay alert in his grogginess.

Alice assumed a starting position and said, "Ready."

At her command, Edward began the piece. He was very comfortable with it, having played the song as a teenager. Wealthy homeowners would hire him for their parties and paid him meagerly because he was so young. It was a passionate piece, full of swells and decrescendos, and his body moved up and down with the volume. He always put his heart into his music - it was the only thing that that had stayed with him from his human life. People died, places were abandoned, and even languages faded away. But music could be remembered and replayed for eternity.

In rhythm with his piano playing, the small dark-skinned girl danced in and out of the shadows. She jumped, twirled, and contorted her body in expressive ways as the melody ebbed and flowed. At one point during the climax, Alice tripped up and cut Edward off. "I can't figure out this footing! I'm sorry, could you play those bars again?"

He nodded and repeated the tune, his thin, pale fingers pounding on the keys with familiar precision. She asked him to repeat himself a few more times, and he thought it seemed odd for her to be so clumsy. "Are you alright?" Edward asked her. "I thought you knew this routine."

Alice sighed, letting her arms drop out of position to her sides. "I do. I'm a little distracted."

"What's on your mind?"

She took a seat next to him on the piano bench, putting her hands in her lap. "It's not a big deal, I just wonder if-" Alice suddenly stopped speaking and stared at the piano keys, her jaw slack. Her burgundy brown eyes glazed over and she didn't breathe or blink.

Edward watched her for a moment, then continued practicing. This was a regular occurrence for his sister, and nothing could be done for her in such a state. It could last anywhere from a few seconds to hours, but she claimed to have been in a psychic trance for over a day once before she joined the coven.

A noise at the door startled Edward and he lifted his hands from the keys, eyes flicking to the beam of sunlight that flooded the room. The girl he'd seen at the start of the semester stood in the doorway - _Bella?_ \- and he moved to duck behind the piano. It was a horrible idea and he just ended up bumping into Alice, who then returned to her conscious state.

"Hello?" Bella called out into the theatre.

Alice stood up and Edward looked to her for direction. She smiled to the newcomer, ignoring him, and picked up her brown gloves as she began to step away from the piano. Before she could leave, Edward grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him again.

He whispered, "What did you see?"

She freed herself from his grasp and motioned towards Bella, then skipped down the stairs and to the girl. "Hello!" she said to her, then enveloped her in a hug. "I'm Alice."

With a surprised expression, Bella stood rigid until Alice let go. She gave her a sheepish smile and said, "Uh hi, I'm… Bella…"

Alice took a step back, still presenting her with an enchanting smile. "I'm afraid I must be off, but I'll be seeing you again sometime, Bella." With that, she turned and exited the building.

Bella watched her leave, then turned to the stage. She shrugged off her coat and exhaled a soft laugh to relieve some tension. "What were you two up to?"

The scent of warm, pulsing blood wafted up to Edward's nose, but he resisted the urge with the ease of countless years of practice. "Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief, walking towards the stairs. "You got to school early just for the hell of it?"

Shaking his head, he tried to come up with something to say. "No, I mean, it's really not important." He closed the cover to the piano as she traveled across the stage to him. "What about you? This place is supposed to be locked."

"Is it?" Bella ran her fingers along the rim of the frame of the grand piano. "I came to see if the dance instructor was here so I could audition, but it looks like it's only you."

Edward smirked and folded his hands in his lap, looking up at her. "Well I don't know how much I can help you there, I'm usually the one playing the music, not dancing to it. What do you dance?"

"Ballet," she said, dropping her bag onto the stage. "Since I was six."

"Impressive. I've been playing piano that long too." Give or take a hundred years.

"Oh, so _that's_ why you were here? To practice?" She gave him a smug smile, thinking she'd uncovered some mystery.

"Ha! No, no," Edward stood, reaching over to grab his gloves. "I don't need the practice. We have a grand at home."

Bella rolled her eyes and Edward huffed. "Why don't you play me something if you're so _good_?"

"We aren't supposed to be in here," he retorted, pulling the thin black biker gloves on.

Picking up her bag again, Bella said, "If you like music, why don't you come to the theater downtown with me this Saturday? They're putting on a musical and I have an extra ticket..."

Edward passed by her to walk off stage, "That depends on the musical."

"It's Sweeney Todd. Some sort of creepy barber who murders his customers." She followed him through the theater.

"And you think that's the type of musical I would like? Creepy?"

"Hey, it's a free ticket. Have you already seen it or something?"

"Not this season. I mean, well, no. No I haven't."

"So you'll come?" Bella stopped in front of him to get her answer.

Edward looked past her and shrugged, "Is it just you?"

"Uh, no. You know Jacob Black? He invited me, and you're my plus one. Also his sister will be there. But she's older than us, so it's not like she'll be lame or anything. She was nice the other times I've met her."

"Yeah yeah, I know him. Alright," he groaned, sliding past her to continue down the aisle. "I don't care. Let's just get out of here."

"Awesome, Jacob will be happy to hear that. I don't really know anyone too well here yet, so you were the only person I could think of to ask. Here's the ticket."

He took the slip of paper from Bella without looking at her. _The only person she could think of?_ Well that was very sweet, now wasn't it. Edward resisted scoffing, shoving it into his pocket and saying, "Yeah. No problem." When they reached the door, Edward found the key that Alice had left in the lock and he then he closed and bolted the door behind Bella. The school was bustling by now and the two of them crossed the campus to the main building.

"Do you have a motorcycle?"

Edward glanced at Bella, and then shook his head. "I drive a Volvo. It's just about the same."

"What do you wear the gloves for, then?"

He looked down at his hands, stretching his fingers out in the leather material. Most of the time he forgot he even wore them; the habit had really grown on him. "Well, it is cold out today."

She laughed, "Those can't actually keep you _warm_ , do they?"

"They do the job."

"I would invest in some mittens. You dad has cold hands, too."

He furrowed his brows, quickly turning towards her, "My father?" His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Yeah, the doctor? I saw him the other... Is something wrong?"

Edward was looking at his phone. He held up a hand to Bella, "I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll come to your musical thing, but... I need to leave."

Bella called a disgruntled goodbye to him as Edward ran off towards the front of the school. Sitting by the curb was the yellow Porsche, and he threw himself into the seat as soon as his fingers touched the door handle. Alice hit the gas and they sped out of the school, dodging kids left and right.

"Are you sure that's what you saw?" he asked her, bracing himself against the car door.

"Edward, he's going to die."

* * *

 **A/N: Everyone, give Alice a warm welcome! She will give Edward a noogie for every like this post gets. Psychic premonitions to the rescue!**


	8. Precautions

Screeching to a halt in front of their home in the woods, Alice and Edward jumped out of the Porsche and through the front door. The frame creaked under the force with which they entered the house, where they were greeted by a three-foot girl with a soft copper complexion. Her countenance was somber as she tugged at the hem of her dress and stared up at her two siblings.

Edward stopped and knelt down to her level, holding out his arms, "Oh mi pequeño, ¿dónde está nuestra familia?"

She pointed behind her, towards the back door, "Allí." Edward then picked her up and nodded to Alice.

"I'll meet you out there," he murmured to her.

As the girl found comfort in Edward's arms, Alice slipped by and continued down the hall. The remaining pair then stood in the foyer in the cool air of the morning.

"Why aren't you outside with everyone else?" asked Edward, fixing a strand of the girl's hair.

"I was told to wait for you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Lucia, that's very good of you for following orders, thank you." Edward adjusted her so she was sitting on his forearms, and they started down the hall. "Did they tell you anything?"

"No, I was saying goodbye to Rose when Colin came home, and then I heard shouting and he told me to stay inside."

"And wait for us?"

"Yes. He said you would come, and you did."

"Of course we did, ma florecita. Now let's make sure everything is alright."

Edward took Lucia out the back door, where the family was gathered. There was quite the commotion as Colin and Eva huddled close to the forest's edge and everyone else watched in anticipation. Muffled sobbing was swallowed up by damp snow. Alice stood a few feet away from the others and Edward took a spot by her side, keeping Lucia facing away from the crowd.

Edward began to speak, but Alice nudged him and pointed to his head. Instead, he listened for her thoughts.

"It's not Ruben," came from her mind. "The future always changes. Something must have happened to keep him from going outside. Kazimir apparently called out for him before they left for school and he found the poor thing staggering around back here, bleeding out. Better the animal than Ruben, but he's completely inconsolable."

"Who did it?" Edward whispered to Alice. Lucia continued to rest in his arms without making a fuss.

"I don't know. It couldn't have been Rose, Lucia, or us, and it obviously wasn't Ruben. Colin just came home, so I doubt it was him. Eva doesn't hunt without Colin, and… Well, that just leaves Jesse and Francis."

"Where is Jess, anyway?"

"Dunno that, either. In our room, maybe. He hasn't been out hunting since he got back, or at least he hasn't told me anything about going out."

"He was supposed to be watching Lucy."

The girl perked up at her name. "C'est moi, oui?"

Edward smiled and turned her so she could look at him and Alice. "Yeah, we're talking about you," he said in a quiet voice.

"Do you know where Jesse is?" Alice murmured to her, reaching over to run her knuckles across Lucia's cheek. Her body was chilled like the air.

"Sitting on the floor of your room with his eyes closed," she shrugged, resting her head on Edward's shoulder.

Alice crossed her arms and looked to her brother. She told him telepathically: "He's been meditating nearly every waking moment. Won't tell me what's wrong, just insists he needs to clear his mind."

Edward opened his mouth, but was cut off before he could speak:

"He told me I could say goodbye to Rose, I promise I didn't sneak away. He said it was okay," Lucia assured them, looking down.

Edward patted her on the back, "No one is upset at you. You did exactly what you were told."

"Then why is everyone outside?"

"Good question…" Edward trailed off. Alice had turned to face the rest of the group and noticed Colin retreat from Eva. He started towards them, and she held out her arms to take Lucia. Edward handed her off as Colin settled in front of them, and Edward peeked around him to see what had really happened.

Laying in the frozen mud was Kazimir, a pool of blood oozing from his neck. Ruben clung to the animal's head with fierce affection and could be seen shaking. His cries were softer now, but filled with the same sorrow. Rosalie tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but she was roughly pushed away. Edward then focused again on his creator.

Colin was dressed in his seafoam scrubs, blood-splattered and exhausted. He smiled at the trio and Lucia reached out to him, asking to be held. He turned her down, letting her stay in Alice's arms, and the young girl buried her face into her neck.

"How is he, Ruben?" Edward asked him.

Sighing, Colin ran his hands through his blond hair. "He'll be fine. He's upset and that's to be expected, so please be kind to him if you would."

"How… How did it happen? Was it a hunter?"

"No, this isn't the season. There are wounds on his neck that caused him to bleed out… It could only be one of us." Colin surveyed the two vampires. "And I trust neither of you were involved."

They nodded and Alice chimed in, "I had a vision, about all of this."

"Did you see anything that could point to the culprit?" he asked.

"Well it wasn't exactly what happened, so I'm not sure if it'll help that much. The way I saw it, Ruben was alone in the forest just north of here. I don't know what he was doing, maybe hunting, but it was raining and he was searching for something. Then out of nowhere he's on the ground and there's someone over him, snapping his neck. No human has the strength to do that to one of us."

Colin rubbed his chin, listening intently. "Are you sure that wasn't something further into the future?"

Alice stiffened. "I thought something must have changed and whomever it was attacked Kaz instead."

"I'd like to believe that, but the circumstances aren't right. It's not raining, and-" a drop of water plopped onto his forehead. The grim scene flashed by his icy blue eyes and he wiped the rain off, only to have it be replaced by two more drops. He cursed, then turned around to the rest of his family.

"Let's get inside! I'm calling a meeting!" he told them, and the mournful group began to retreat into their home. Francis, being the strongest, wrenched Ruben off of the corpse and threw him over his shoulder to bring him inside. The rest of the family watched as Ruben kicked and screamed, but the red-haired behemoth was able to get him in after all.

In the living room, the seven vampires sat in a semicircle while they waited for the meeting to start. Edward sat with Ruben, who was now wet, covered in mud and blood, but silent - though he barraged his brother with his agony mentally. It was impossible to Edward to drown all of it out, so he concentrated on the heavy thundering of rain on the rooftop. He almost didn't notice when Colin returned and took his seat across from them all on the couch.

Adjusting the red silk robe he had changed into, Colin put up his hand to get the attention of the group. When the murmuring ceased, he started: "This has been a very stressful morning, and I appreciate the cooperation that I have received from all of you. While we are deeply affected by the loss of Kazimir, we must analyze this event to ensure the safety of our family. I'd first like to ask if anyone had been out hunting this morning before the body was found."

Colin sat with his hands in his lap and the seven pairs of eyes staring back at him refused to move.

"Good. I should then have no reason to think that any of you committed this act. Now, has anyone noticed any other unusual occurrences with the animals in the area? Corpses completely drained of blood? Anything that would point to a vampire on our land?"

Everyone shook their heads. Rosalie offered her insight:

"If there's another vampire in the area, wouldn't they be hunting humans?"

"While our customs are only followed by a few covens in the world, there are others that only drink from animals. It is possible that someone is just passing through and doesn't want to be noticed," Colin reminded her.

"What about the Denalis?" Eva said. "Could they be here, if only passing by?"

"If the Denalis were here, I would hope that they would contact me... Because I haven't heard from Tanya, I doubt it's them. " Colin sighed.

"That must mean they did it on purpose," muttered Francis. He rubbed his wiry orange beard, looking down at the hardwood floor. "Whoever killed him knew who he was."

"How could anyone know that he meant something to me?" Ruben said in a ragged voice. "I thought I was the only one who could speak to animals."

"The only one we know of," said Colin.

"What are the odds?"

"They're... Not good. It's nearly impossible someone with the same gift as you would happen upon our territory to begin with." Colin leaned back into the cushion, "I've never even met two vampires with the same gift, save for shields. Gifts are rare enough as it is."

"That's it, then? We have nothing to work with?"

"No," said Edward. Six pairs of eyes bored into his skull now that Lucia had fallen asleep in Alice's lap, and he continued: "If this person knew who Kazimir was, they must have been watching us."

"Edward is right," said Colin. "Whoever these people are, they're trying to antagonize us; get us to break. Which makes this very serious. We have to take every precaution to make sure our identity is kept hidden. For all we know, the Volturi are 'checking in' on us again..."

"Who?" asked Alice. Edward raised his eyebrows as he glanced at her. Alice, Jesse, and Lucia had joined the family in the nineteen-fifties, making them the newest members. The last time the Volturi had made an appearance was in the forties, which accounted for Alice's ignorance. Nonetheless, he couldn't believe that no one had told her.

"The Volturi are the leaders of the vampire world. From time to time, they take a census of their vampires and visit the covens to make sure they are staying inconspicuous," Colin told her.

"And... If they aren't?"

Colin shifted in his seat. "To preserve the secrecy of vampires, they would eradicate the coven and anyone else involved."

"But why would they want to kill us?" The cheerfulness had gone out of Alice's voice.

"Nothing is certain," he assured the group, feeling the constricting tenseness with which the family listened. "Until we know who is watching us and why, the most important thing is to stay calm and follow my instructions." Colin stood up, tightening the cord around his waist to keep his robe on. "First and foremost, hunting must be done in groups of four. We will only hunt once a week to reduce the amount of time we spend outside. Someone must stay with Lucia at all times and she is not allowed outside, lest she be spotted. If anyone notices anything out of the ordinary, contact me before pursuing any plan of action. And above all else: do not reveal yourself. This meeting is adjourned."

With that, Edward stood up from his seat and stretched. The room was alive with talking again as everyone began discussing the new rules. Beside him, Alice cradled Lucia to her chest, and Edward was about to suggest he and Ruben find something to do when he felt a hand on his back.

"May I have a word?"

He turned to see Colin, regal despite his exhaustion, and nodded. The two of them went around the corner to the staircase and Colin pointed up them.

"It seems a member of our family is missing," he said with weariness.

"You mean Jesse?" Edward blinked.

"Yes. I cannot attest to his good mood, but I would be grateful if you would pass on the information I gave out to the rest of the family."

Edward nodded again, fervently. "Of course."

"Thank you. I need to get to bed, I've got another shift at six. There's nothing like a cold coffin to give you a sleep as sound as death, is there?" the man laughed. Edward gave him a polite smile and Colin regained his composure, "Anyway, you know where I'll be if anything goes wrong. Best of luck." He whizzed up the stairs; Edward heard the door to his room close a second later.

Unsure of how Jesse was doing, Edward took his time climbing the stairs and walking down the hallway. Alice and Jesse took the room opposite his own, next to Lucia's. It was the same size and layout as his, which made Edward glad he needn't share his room with another person. It was cozy enough as it was. His hand hovered over the doorknob when he reached the room and he listened for a moment, trying to catch some of Jesse's thoughts.

But he heard nothing. His mind was silent.

Clearing his throat in an impudent manner, Edward twisted the handle and stepped inside. The room had three soft lavender walls and one large window taking up the rest of the space. In the center was a grand four-poster bed that Alice had insisted upon when they moved in, and two burgundy armchairs sat in the room's corners. Those were Jesse's choice. A weak scent of smoke filled his nose and Edward closed the door behind him as his eyes settled on the man sitting cross-legged on the floor at the foot of the bed.

Jesse was recognizable by his shoulder-length dirty blond hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. Eyes shut, his face was tilted up at a slight angle and his hands rested on his knees. In front of him was a bowl of dried white sage, burning slowly, surrounded by an arrangement of crystals. At Edward's entrance, his amber eyes flicked open.

"Hello," he said.

Edward passed by him to sit in one of the armchairs. "Hey Jesse, it's great to see you again. I'm sorry to... Bother you, but Colin wanted me to pass a few things on if that's alright."

"Sure." He closed his eyes again.

"I don't know if you heard, but one of Ruben's animals was found dead with vampire incisions," he looked to Jesse to see if he would react, but he made no movement. "So... We think someone may be watching us. Colin wants us to only hunt once a week, stay in groups of four, report anything to him; that sort of thing. Oh, and you gotta keep Lucia inside."

"So there's a Volturi threat?"

Edward blinked. "I - I didn't know you were told about the Volturi. I thought Colin wanted-"

"Colin wanted to keep our hopes up. He didn't want us to worry that someday, she would have to be killed." Jesse stood, picking up his bowl of sage. He grasped the plant by the stem and waved it around in front of his face, letting the smoke trail off. Then, he smudged the velvety leaves on the inside of the bowl and sat on the edge of his bed, laying the bowl in his lap. He was a very strange person, Edward thought, but he felt his anxieties ease whenever he was with him. Everything flowed freely from him and his mind was crystal clear. It was wondrous what his empathic powers could do, but they took a toll on Jesse himself. He wouldn't be able to survive the constant barrage of emotions if it wasn't for his perpetual meditation.

"I understand his intentions, but you knew and Alice had no idea. How did you...?" Edward trailed off, eyeing the older vampire. This was one of those times where he wished Jesse wasn't so perfect at controlling his mind - it would have been so simple to just pop into his head and see what was swimming around in there. Nevertheless, he held his patience and listened to the man.

"When I was first turned, my creator did a thorough job of introducing me to the world. Maria, she wanted me to be her right-hand man and bring her to fame in the wars that controlled the south during my young adulthood," Jesse said, his voice thick with his Texan accent that hadn't faded since the day he was turned. "She was ruthless and seduced me. Because I was in love with her, I did anything she said. Even when that meant killing immortal children to keep the Volturi at bay."

"If you knew she was so dangerous, then why did you keep Lucia? You couldn't have known that you were going to meet Alice, and then us. You would have been stuck alone in the world with a target on your head as soon as the Volturi found out. And it's a lot easier to take on a pair of vampires than a coven, like us..."

Jesse looked down at the bowl in his lap, running his thumb along the edge. A faint buzzing filled his mind as he thought, that Edward could hear, but the man took a deep breath and it faded before he spoke again. "It wasn't so much of a choice as it was a last-ditch effort… My life would have continued to be that same nightmare forever if I hadn't changed something. And Lucia was that something. She just… She was so… I-I couldn't - "

"You couldn't hurt someone so innocent," Edward assumed.

Jesse hung his head, his chest rising and falling with a sigh. "It wasn't that. I'd been killing people and vampires alike for over a hundred years - I'd become comfortable with the pain I gave and took. Age was not an issue either… I'd never spared an immortal child before that day. I was a monster, Edward. Born and raised."

"You're no monster - you saved her."

His gaze caught Edwards' and a fiery heat filled his stomach. Jesse's eyes went black with a rage that was usually kept under lock and key, and Edward felt as if hundreds of needles were pricking his hands and feet. Quickly, Edward got to his feet, eyes wide and head throbbing from the agony that the other man was sharing with him. No wonder Colin didn't want to deal with him today.

Jesse dropped the bowl of burnt sage and took a slow step forward, head cocked and stiff. "Did I really save her Edward? Did I? We both know that she's doomed."

The air was thick and tense, and Edward kept taking steps back from the other man as he came closer. It was impossible to stop Jesse's silent screams of anguish that were invading his mind, and Edward couldn't stand to be in the room for another minute. He broke away from Jesse's eyes and swiftly turned around, leaving the room and shutting the door firmly behind him. As he stepped out, he found himself nearly touching noses with Alice, and she looked just as horrified as Edward did.

"I think he needs some time to himself," he murmured before slinking away and locking himself in his own room across the hall.

* * *

 **A/N: Say hello to the infamous Jesse Whitlock! He's weird! He's wacky! And he... Stole a child from a newborn army? All I know is that you do not want to be near him when he's angry.**


End file.
